Nier: Automata (RE)Birth
by Akashic Records
Summary: What happens when the world is empty, and your reason for living was a lie? Find a new reason. Or, perhaps if Fate is willing, an old reason, re-purposed. 2B, 9S, and A2 now have to discover their own truths in a world following the rise and fall of the Tower. And, they have a special companion at their side that might change their fates.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1: Beginnings**_

.

This world was rotten and wretched. And yet, after all was said and done, A2 could not hate it. For all the sorrows it had caused, the world possessed undeniable wonders that captivated the mind and soul.

Seated on the roof of a crumbling skyscraper and staring out over the ruins of some city or another, with wild life surrounding her, A2 bowed her head in shame. She had failed. Some might claim she had succeeded. But not her. Never her.

The Ark was gone. Taken to who knows where by the Gestalt Machine Twins Adam and Eve. Probably crashed landed on Mars for all she knew.

The Tower was broken, and the Red Girls trapped in an infinite loop, unable to complete their objectives without deleting themselves.

And the Server. The Lunar Depot. The Final Resting Place of Man. All of mankind's data, from their history to their arts and philosophy, was safe from annihilation. Maybe in this way, humanity would live on.

The feminine android shook her head to clear the thoughts from her head. No, humanity _did_ live on, their memories encoded into every single android, be they YoRHa or otherwise.

How cruel their creators were, she thought, to have blessed and cursed their facsimiles with free will. How maddening it was that they were now able to decide what to do.

A2 looked into the sky, frowning. YoRHa was… in disarray. Yes, that was perhaps the best way to describe it. Commander White and the rest of the primary Operating staff had their hands full trying to keep the Combat models from committing suicide, and from the Support models from doing the same, but with less weapons involved.

And the Resistance? Without anything to actively resist, barring the occasional Wild Machine Lifeform, they weren't sure what to do. Some groups were starting to rebuild. Restoring buildings and facilities all across Earth to live and work in.

Even if mankind was dead and gone, they still had mouths to feed, parts to replace, things to do. And, without the obedience programmed into them by YoRHa, the Resistance 'droids were far more able to explore and develop their 'humanity' now that everything seemed to be done.

The androids had a chance now to choose their own destiny. Where that would lead them, A2 did not know. But it had to be better than what it had been before. Still, it did not feel like she had won. And that sat bitterly within her.

Had she wanted the lie to continue to be perpetuated? No. Yes. Maybe. In the end, the reason she felt she had failed was simple: She did not know if she could consider these outcomes as 'winning.'

"A2, are you alright?"

The white-haired woman turned, the doves surrounding her flying away.

Emerging from the building with a stumbling gait was a fellow white-haired android, tall and slim. 2B. Or perhaps 2E? A2 didn't know which she preferred at this point.

Regardless of names, 2B was very similar in appearance. A2 had been the model the other android had been based off of. Since everything had settled down A2 had chosen to let her hair grow out again.

Not sure how that worked, either. Apparently, they were bio-mechanical in nature. One part modified human genetics to three parts technology.

"You have that look on your face again," 2B said softly, shaking A2 from her thoughts. The older android smiled weakly at the construct she'd come to regard as a sister of sorts.

"Just thinking about the future," A2 replied, turning back to watch the sky. The sun was starting to set, casting ruby glows across the ruins. So beautiful. So grim.

She turned back to 2B. "How's 9S?"

"His repairs are coming along," 2B claimed, sitting down next to her mentor and sister. "Another day or so should see him up and running at 60% efficiency. We'll be able to leave soon after."

"I see. That's good," A2 said with a nod of her head.

"Does he… remember?" She asked hesitantly. 2B paused before nodding slowly.

"Yes. And he is… sorry about stabbing you."

A2 snorted, but it was a sound of amusement rather than annoyance.

"I'm glad." The pair relaxed for a while in silence, simply watching the sky darken and the stars come out.

"What comes next?" 2B inquired. "What do we do now, knowing that everything is a lie?"

"Do as the humans did, and live," A2 replied. "They never knew the truth of their existence, and that seems in a way just as cruel as us knowing ours was a lie. Yet they endured, and made marvels. Like this city. Like us."

Further musings were interrupted by a beeping. POD 153 floated over to pair.

"Warning: Hostile Machine Lifeforms detected."

"I'll take care of this," A2 announced with a sigh, standing up. 2B watched with worry as she walked over to a katana lying nearby.

"Do you not want me to come?"

"You and 9S are still being repaired, and the nano-synthesizers are an older model. You'll only slow me down. Not to mention your cogitation processors haven't fully recovered from the Logic Virus's caress. And I don't want you getting hurt anymore."

That said, A2 took a running leap off the building and plummeted down towards the ground. 2B stared sadly out over the landscape before rising and staggering back into the ruined apartment complex the trio had claimed for themselves.

It was dark and crumbling within. Most of the furnishing had rotted away over the centuries, leaving only rusted skeletal frame and scraps.

One thing did stand out though, despite being almost as rusted and worn down as its surroundings: a large, squat box-like device, shaped not unlike an Old Earth 'vending machine.'

What it was in reality was an Access Point, or more perhaps a Protocol Terminal, or just Terminal. Each one was an advanced piece of tech, scattered across the globe alongside the androids. They were used to download and save an androids data, ensuring they could be reuploaded into a new body. They also doubled as communication relays in places where the orbital satellites had limited access, providing radio links and map data, and as miniature fabricator units that could, if provided enough materials, pull off limited field repairs.

The trio's wounds were slightly more than what a mere 'field repair' could pull off, though, so they'd taken turns inside, healing up to the point they could move unassisted. Then, they could search for better repairs.

"2B? Is everything alright? I heard POD 153 leave and…"

"A2 went to take care of it," the combat android explained as a curious and worried young voice came the Terminal.

"Oh. I see." An awkward silence fell on the pair.

2B leaned against the Terminals' side, ignoring the rust stains she was collecting.

"I'm so glad you're alright."

"Me too, 2B. When the virus infected you, I thought you were done for…" 9S replied, his voice distorted by the Terminal.

The young-looking S-model had not believed his eyes when he had found 2B's body. She was alive! Or at least, capable of repairs. With the source of the infection cut off, and the Server containing the antidote protocols, 9S had proceeded to purge the Logic Virus from 2B. In no time at all, her Blackbox was restored to a semblance of functionality.

Then, overwhelmed by guilt at having slain A2, the badly damaged 9S dragged his body back to where he had left her, and with 2B's assistance, had fixed her up slightly.

After that, it was only a matter of finding a place to lay low that had tools for survival. Luck was on their side, and one of the abandoned buildings revealed an Access Point. Old and slow, but with its connection to the Bunker severed, the androids had spent a lot of time getting it running again, and healing up.

And that time had allowed the trio to come to grip with what had happened, and what their relationships with each other even were.

They had settled into a pseudo-family unit with A2 as the mother figure, and 2B and 9S her… disciples? Children? Cousins? They had yet to fully figure it out themselves, but they were working on it!

The duo descended into a companionable silence, waiting for their older sibling or whatever A2 to return. They both hoped she was alright.

.

"Why. Are. There. So. Many. MACHINES!?" A2 shouted, slicing apart the thirty fifth attacker of the evening. And at least a dozen more remained.

They were swarming around the basement of a large tumbled down complex. She was not sure what it had been used for, but from the scraps that remained she guessed it had been a lab or factory of some kind.

Whatever had attracted the machines had whipped them into a frenzy, beyond what even the Red Girl's virus had been capable of. And A2 was going to destroy it. If only for ruining a quiet evening with her companions.

"Kill! KILL! Must not be allowed! CANNOT BE ALLOWED!" one of the machines screeched, and A2 decapitated its squat, ugly head. Again with that battle cry! Each one had been chanting it the whole time she'd been slaughtering the lot of them. It was grating on her nerves.

"Begone!" the android cried, slashing out with her blade and releasing a crushing shockwave that tore into the remaining foes. Two more shock-slices and the hoard was dead, put to the sword.

With a hum of satisfaction A2 strode forward over the remains. Some of them looked in rather good condition, possibly useful as raw materials for the Terminal. To her regret she had not brought POD 153 with her. The device's trans-liminal storage system would have come in handy. Ah well, she could carry a few odds and ends in her arms if necessary.

After a short walk through the depths of the abandoned building, she came across what she assumed had gotten the machines in a tizzy; a large, sealed door.

She tilted her head. This was it? What on Earth could it be hiding that made the machines so violent?

A quick glance showed a few things of interest. Namely, a smashed and broken control console of ancient design, some rubble that looked like it had once been furniture, and faded and peeling words painted on the door.

The only words A2 could read were 'C,' 'nic,' 'ser,' and 'ity,' though they seemed more like fragments of words based on the decay of the paint around them.

With a hum, A2 considered her options. The doors looked sturdy. They'd stood up to a concentrated machine assault for a few minutes with only a few dents to show for it. And whatever controls had once existed were gone.

With a shrug A2 charged up her katana.

Two Super Charged Shockwave Smashes later, and the door was sundered. She carefully slipped inside, and then grimaced at the darkness that presented itself. Right. No POD meant no lights.

She focused her mind on her katana again, only this time made sure that the charge she built up was small and harmless. A white glow surrounded her blade, and with it she had an improvised flashlight.

Carefully making her way through the new path, she found herself descending a flight of stairs before reaching another door. This one was much less impressive though, and a single kick was enough to open it.

What she found on the other side caused her mouth to drop open.

A cavernous space, hundreds of feet wide and tall, spread out before her. The gloom could not be penetrated clearly by her dinky sword-light, but what was revealed was astonishing. Dozens of metal and glass tubes, each one large enough to hold an android, even a bulky Maker type, filled the area. Tiny blinking lights dotted the tube-pods, most of them red.

After a moment A2 realized something. She was cold. The air was frigid, but thanks to her inorganic body it had taken longer to realize it. She glanced around, spotting a glass enclosed booth of some kind. She approached, but her steps faltered when she saw something slumped over in a chair.

A desiccated corpse. One with two arms, two legs, a head, and a physique not unlike her own.

"A human," she whispered in disbelief tinged with reverence. A dead one, slain by asphyxiation judging from the lack of taint a White Chlorination Syndrome infected corpse would have. At least, according to the data A2 had scrounged up about the fall of mankind. She drew closer to the body, which was dressed in a lab coat, and saw she was slumped in front of a computer. Primitive, yet miraculously intact.

And still working. Breath caught in her throat, she leaned over and tapped one of the keys. The screen lit up, revealing whatever had been worked on before the person's death.

"WARNING! Cryogenics systems failing! Please evacuate the ERROR ERROR Unable to connect to system ERROR ERROR failsafe engaged CAUTION Override Code Prima 5-231 in effect, all remaining power rerouted to Cryogenic Preservation Pod 77 ALERT Power low shut down in ERROR ERROR ERROR Pod 1-76 OFFLINE Inhabitants Status DECEASED Pods 78-100 OFFLINE Inhabitants Status DECEASED Please contact ERROR!"

A2 stared at the screen, unable to tear her gaze away. This was some sort of facility the humans had used to try and preserve their race!

Trembling the android reached out and pressed a few more keys. More data appeared and she soaked it all in. Then, in shock and mounting awe, she saw a single message.

"Cryogenic Preservation Pod 77 ONLINE Inhabitant Status ALIVE."

Alive. There was a human alive. After thousands of years…

A2 shook her head. No. She didn't trust the ancient device. Its code was badly corrupted, who knew what data it actually possessed anymore. She had to see for herself.

She dashed out of the room into the rows of large, suspended tubes. Numbers flashed before her eyes. 1. 2. 33. 46. 69. Then, finally, 77.

She stopped in front of it, hardly daring to breathe. To believe. A green light was lit up on the tubes surface, where only red was for all the others. With shaking hands she reached out and fumbled around the pod, trying to find a way to open it.

After a few tense hours of searching the facility and scanning the scrambled code that remained in the computers, she was finally able to transmit the activation code to thaw the human from its preserved state.

With a hiss of super condensed air and a gurgle of some kind of bio-preservation fluid, the pod lid opened, revealing its contents.

A2 would later swear that she did not cry. Everyone knew she was lying, but politely kept it to themselves.

.

2B was getting worried. It was nearly dawn, and yet A2 was not yet back!

"153, is she nearby?" she asked, rounding on the floating robot.

"Negative, 2A has not returned."

"Damn it all!" she cried, slamming her fist against the wall. Cracks spread out from the impact and dust rained down on her.

"Calm down, 2B! 2A is a strong fighter, she wouldn't lose to mere machines," 9S assured her from his spot inside the Terminal.

"It shouldn't take hours to do a routine clean up mission!" the feminine android protested. "What if she ran into another Gestalt Entity, or a Goliath-Class Machine, or rogue YoRHa agents?!"

"I understand your concern, but we can't do anything while we heal. How about this: We send out POD 153 to check on her in another hour or so?"

2B pursed her lips but relented with a nod. She sighed and turned to the hovering device.

"153, is she nearby?"

"Affirmative, 2A has returned."

"Damn it all wait what?" she demanded.

"You really shouldn't be pacing in your condition, 2B. We don't want you to aggravate the damage to your servos."

"That's what I've been saying!" 9S said loudly in agreement.

Filled with relief, 2B spun around, a smile on her lips. The smile froze and she stared at her mentor/sister/mother (?) with a look of extreme confusion and disbelief.

"A2, what is that in your arms?"

The battle-made android looked down at the object in her arms, up to 2B, back down at the object, then up to 2B once more.

"I thought it was obvious." She held out the bundle with a completely straight face.

"It's a baby."


	2. Chapter 2: It's a baby!

_**.**_

 **Chapter 2: It's a baby**

 _ **.**_

2B blinked. She rubbed her eyes, took another look at A2 and was assured that yes, there was a miniature lifeform not dissimilar to an extremely young android.

"What?" Was all the gynoid could utter. Her synapses were firing, but nothing could get past the massive amount of WHAT going through her thoughts.

"A baby? Do you mean an infant human?" 9S asked, incredulously.

"Yes."

"Where did you find it?" 2B demanded, snapping out of her daze.

"Where the machines were. They seemed to have been worked into a frenzy for some reason. After I eliminated them, I went looking for the source of what had driven them mad. I found a door. And behind that door, I found a laboratory of some kind. Cryogenics perseveration pods were within, and a single unit was still operating," A2 explained. She strode over to a relatively clear and clean spot in front of the Terminal and lay the bundle in her arms down gently.

2B got her first good look of the last human in existence.

It was tiny and pudgy with a faint wisp of dark hair atop its head. Its skin was pale, not unlike her own. It was asleep, soft breathes lifting its chest up and down faintly. It was swaddled in a powder blue blanket and a onesie of a darker shade.

And it was adorable. 2B felt something tighten inside her chest when she looked at it, emotions she was unsure of flooding her.

"Is it… alright?" she asked hesitantly. She forced herself to look away from the child to stare at A2.

A2, for her part, was fussing over the tiny being, making sure it was comfortable.

"I do not know. Most of the data inside the facility was corrupted, and I have no idea what kind of substance or technology was used to preserve the baby. Also, it's a male."

"A boy, then," 9S said. "Young human males were generally called 'boys' until they reached adulthood. And before that, childhood was divided into several stages. Infant, toddler, child, pre-teen, and teen."

"Interesting. How do you know that?" 2A inquired.

"Oh, um, when the Tower was getting ready to fire, I may have hacked a few portions of the Server. Just to see if what I'd discovered about humanity's extinction was really true," 9S admitted, a tinge of guilt in his voice.

"A few of the files I obtained contained an eclectic assortment of knowledge. I know a bit about cow husbandry, the mating habits of forty-nine different species of birds, I can speak a dead language called 'Chinese,' and I have over twenty terabytes of media related to cats doing cute things."

"Huh. Anything you can tell us about how to raise a human child?" A2 asked.

"A few things. Like I said, very eclectic."

"It'll have to do for now, then," A2 said with a sigh. She settled down onto the floor next to the baby.

"I'm going to watch over it for now. 2B, stay on guard with POD 153 for any machines. 9S, concentrate on getting yourself fixed."

A pair of 'Yes, ma'am!' was her response, and she smiled fondly at her two companions before focusing on the baby once more. Compelled by some force beyond her understanding she reached out and stroked the top of the infant's head. He scrunched up his face at the contact, and A2 feared he may have been woken up.

She breathed a sigh of relief when he did not.

A smile flitted across her face, and she scooted closer to child. She dared not hold him close, for fear of hurting the much frailer being with her superior strength. But she did not shy away, either. Nothing was going to harm this child. Nothing was going to take away the meaning she had found in her life.

Anything that dared to try would perish upon her blade.

~~~~.

Androids did not sleep. They could, however, enter a sort of standby mode where all there functions were put on hold for a short while, but could be instantly reactivated.

It was typically used when repairs were being done, but a few androids, Resistance and YoRHa alike, would use it to replay memories or access data of a more relaxing nature, similar to what they imagined 'dreaming' to be like.

A2 was embarrassed to say that she had slipped into this mode during the night. Or early morning, technically, since the sun had been an hour away when she had finally returned to their hideout.

So it was a great shock to her systems to be jolted out of her Sleep Cycle by a high pitched wailing.

She shot to her feet, hand reaching for her katana.

"A2, stand down! It's just the baby!"

She froze, and the gynoid warrior felt embarrassment creep up upon her. A2 looked down and saw the human she had rescued bawling his eyes out.

"Oh, there, there, don't cry, you're safe," she cooed. She sheathed her blade (or more accurately let it float at her back) and scooped up the infant. His blanket was dirty now, and she absently brushed some dust off of it.

She looked around their base and took stock as she comforted the baby. 2B was packing up the few meagre supplies they had into either a sack fashioned from raw beast hide or the POD's spatial distortion storage. Her katana, a fully upgraded Virtuous Contract, was already hovering around her back.

9S was already out of the Terminal, his major injuries taken care of. He was checking on POD 153 and running diagnostics on the handful of advanced tech they possessed. His own weapon, a fully upgraded Cruel Oath, was floating at his waist.

She could not help but think of her own weapon. A typical, mass produced one: a Type-40 Sword. Merely scavenged, and holding no true meaning to her. It was just a weapon. She felt a tinge of envy towards 2B and 9S for having their own custom-made katanas. After all, only the best YoRHa agents got their own unique items. She missed her weapon. She'd have to see if she could find it someday.

She shook her head and concentrated on the baby in her arms. She had something much more precious to worry about right now.

"Why is it crying?" she asked. Partly rhetorical, partly desperate to appease the child.

"It could be hungry, I suppose," 9S said hesitantly. "I seem to recall that babies would cry if they needed anything. It was up to the parent to figure out what exactly was required, though."

"What do they eat?" 2B asked.

"They drink milk," 9S said. "The baby in our possession looks too young to be able to consume solid matter as sustenance yet. Actually, does he have any teeth? Could you check for me?"

A2 nodded and gently propped the baby's lips with the tip of her right index finger. She was careful to clean the appendage off before doing so, of course.

The child immediately latched onto the digit, sucking for all it was worth. This gave A2 a chance to explore the insides of his mouth.

"I feel four," she replied, eventually removing her finger. The baby quickly teared up and began to wail again.

"It must be about at least half a year old then," the Scouter model mused with a wince at the volume of the crying. "Maybe closer to one whole year."

"So what can we do?" 2B asked, slinging the pack over her shoulder.

"We need to find an animal that produces milk. Any female mammal should suffice," 9S explained.

A2 looked out the hole in the apartment's wall at the wild, untamed land beneath them. Far below, she could barely make out a herd of moose milling around one of the giant trees.

"Hold him," she instructed 9S, handing the baby over to the shorter android.

He blinked and stumbled a bit in surprise but quickly rallied and held the child close.

The baby even stopped crying for a moment as he looked up at the new stranger who was holding him with curious and bright, almost glowing, green eyes.

Meanwhile, A2 once more flung herself off the edge of the building. This time aimed at the group of animals below.

"Should we follow her?" 9S asked, glancing over at 2B. She nodded.

"She didn't bring a container for the milk. Unless she plans on bringing us a female moose for the child to directly feed from, it would be prudent to remind her of that fact."

9S shivered at the thought and quickly nodded in agreement. He would not put it past the older android to do something like that. As brilliant a fighter as A2 was, she seemed like the sort of person to leap before thinking.

With extreme care and caution, the pair of androids descended the building. The bundle of joy in 9S's arms was beyond precious, and they had no intention of accidentally hurting him so soon after finding him.

"Did, did A2 just tackle that moose?" 9S asked as he stared off into the distance.

"Yes. Watch your step, now."

.

"I have the milk. Now what?"

9S glanced at the glass jar they had filled with an irate moose's milk. It had been an interesting sight, watching the taciturn 2A beat up an entire herd of moose for a single cup of milk.

The only male android of the group then looked at the baby.

"I think we just pour it into his mouth? Slowly though, so he doesn't choke on it," he suggested.

2A nodded and held out her arms. To his credit, 9S only hesitated for a second before handing the baby back. The elder female android was covered in leaves and dirt, but she was the one who'd gotten the milk.

Besides, there would be other chances to hold the baby.

With exaggerated care, 2A dribbled the milk into the infant's mouth. He greedily began to slurp it up. After one or two frights when he started to cough it up, they figured out that the baby needed to be held at an angle propped up in their arms, rather than lying straight down when they fed him.

It made dripping the milk into his mouth harder, but he did not cough or choke afterwards. When there was about half of the milk left 2A stopped. Though the baby squirmed and pouted they had to ration what they had. And find a way to preserve it for the long haul.

"What now? Where do we go from here?" 9S asked after a while. The baby had settled down to sleep and they were walking randomly down a path through the urban forest.

"We care for him, obviously," 2B stated.

"Yeah, but, how? I know very little about humans beyond their formative years. Only bits and pieces. And we don't have the resources to properly feed or clothe him either," 9S protested.

There was another long silence.

"Could we take him to YoRHa?"

"No."

A2's words were quiet, so not to disturb the sleeping infant, but they were so full of venom that they sent a shiver of fear to run down the other two android's spines.

"Why not? They have the best technology, and a link to the Server! We don't know enough about humans to care for one, let alone a child!" 9S argued.

"I know you dislike them for what they've done, and I too can't help but feel betrayed by how often they… reset me." 9S looked angrily to the side while 2B stared at the ground, ashamed of her own part in it all. The young-looking male shook his head.

"But that does not mean I don't think this child needs better than what we can provide, and am willing to swallow my distaste for that purpose."

"They will use him as a tool," A2 replied. "Use him as a puppet leader, a propaganda act. Imagine it; 'the last human, a miracle made flesh, come to guide us onto the right path.'"

She snorted and looked at the sky for a bit before turning her attention back to 9S.

"She's right," 2B said, speaking up for the first time. "YoRHa is in the midst of a crisis of faith. Showing them a real human will only make them become overly zealous in his upbringing. And I agree, Commander White would use him as a tool, if only to control the rampaging units. She'd have the best intentions, and would never dream of harming him, but she would still fail to raise him as a person. After all, who among us can say we are human enough to teach the last son of humanity how to be, well, human."

Another long silence, this time filled with contemplation. 9S looked thoughtful before he snapped his fingers as he came to a realization.

"Emil!"

"Who?" A2 inquired, glancing at the Scout model. 2B's eyes widened as she caught his train of thought.

"Emil is a… something," the young android said. "He claims to be have been human once, possibly back during some sort of early phase in the GESTALT Project. I think. Most of his memories are fragmented from the long years he's been around."

"Yes, I recall," 2B said, mulling the idea over. "He was slightly hostile for a while, but calmed down after we helped him. And beat him up."

"Yeah," 9S said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "He did have some interesting items for sale, though. Wonder where he got them…"

"Anyways, he probably knows more about humans than any other being around. We should go to him for help! And even if he isn't human, or knows much about raising humans, we don't have much to lose. He could be a friend and help protect the baby if nothing else."

"Where does he live?" A2 asked, intrigued despite herself. She seemed to recall an odd creature by that name, but she wasn't sure.

"Near the ruins of Relic City, beneath the abandoned shopping mall," 2B said.

"That's close to where this whole mess started," A2 mused. The other androids shared a look.

"And if I recall, a Resistance cell led by a woman named Anemone is nearby as well. Perfect. We have close access to parts, technology, and another human! We'll be able to care for the baby until he grows up."

"What will we do then?" 2B asked. She was curious as to what the older android was thinking of.

"When he reaches adulthood, we will present him to YoRHa," A2 said, grimacing as she spoke her idea. "I despise their ways, but 9S is correct in that they have all the most advanced technology and science, as well as the best weapons. We want them on our side."

The long haired gynoid sighed. "I'd feel much better letting the human be able to make his own decisions if and when we bring him into the spot light."

"We need to start rebuilding, to make Earth a beacon of hope in the stars once more. If it takes a kick in the pants from the last human alive to get us androids to start living for ourselves, so be it."

A2 started to walk off faster in the direction of Relic City. 2B and 9S shared a look of surprise. They'd never heard the older model speak so passionately, or for so long, about anything. Their surprise then morphed into a smile. This baby was already changing their lives. One android at a time.


	3. Chapter 3: What is he?

.

 ** _Chapter 3: What is he, a cyborg skeleton?_**

.

"What."

This time, it was A2 who had been forced into using single words to convey her disbelief at what she was seeing.

Only instead of an adorable baby that was causing the mental interruption, it was a hideous amalgamation of metal and bone, with a hideous, deformed grinning skull as a head. And it was riding a moped.

There was not enough 'what' in the world for A2 to express herself.

The trio had encountered the bizarre being on the edges of the desert region as it was heading into the city ruins. It had stopped and acted excited when it spotted the trio and rushed over to greet them.

"Emil, I'm glad to see you're alright." 2B held out a hand and shook an offered appendage.

"Miss 2B, Mister 9S! You survived!" The skull-in-a-machine said happily, the voice that it spoke with sounding young.

"When that tower rose up and started throwing around energy I didn't know what to think!"

"How's the Resistance doing? And what about YoRHa?" 2B continued.

"I've been helping Anemone and Pascal rebuild. It's taking a while, but we should have a small refinery up and running in the desert area soon which will recycle the toxic waste into usable fuel. Not to mention a lot of old buildings are repaired to the point they're habitable."

Emil paused and frowned. At least, A2 thought it did. It was hard to tell what a skull was thinking and emoting. Very, very hard.

"As for YoRHa, well, after the Bunker landed on the outskirts of the Drowned City's shore, they've been trying to rebuild as well, and establish some form of communication with all their agents and Resistance bases. It hasn't gone overly well."

"The Bunker survived?" 9S asked incredulously. Emil bobbed up and down.

"It wasn't completely devastated in the attack, it seems. Most of it is still intact, and they were able to pilot it to a degree that it landed in deep waters, rather than the shallows or in the ruins themselves. Still, a lot of their systems are down, and they're not very trusting of any none android offering help."

"So, what are you doing out here?" Emil asked, looking at their group. "I see a new face, so what's up?"

"We were looking for you, actually," 2B said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. We need your expertise on something," 9S confirmed. Emil tilted his head.

"I'm not an expert on anything expect scrap-building and magic. And even then, not very good at either."

"The thing is, we found something… odd. A human infant."

Emil froze at 2B's words.

"Are you serious?" he demanded, his voice all but a whisper. When the androids nodded he began to zoom around in circles.

"No, no, no, that's impossible!" the skull-child cried, clutching his head with his robotic appendages.

"It's true, a real, live human," 2B announced.

"You don't understand, that should be impossible! No humans survived the White Chlorination Syndrome or the aliens! Even the GESTALT Project failed, recording a handful of infected survivors as a baseline. No human is left on Earth."

"I found him in an underground facility designed to use cryogenics to preserve the species," A2 spoke up, drawing Emil's attention. "He was the only survivor out of a hundred."

"Human technology was not that advanced at the time of collapse! When everything went to crap they hadn't perfected cryogenics technology, and even if they had, it has been thousands of years! Without maintenance and care whatever power source was powering the facility would have died centuries ago. Same with the cryogenics devices. They'd have degraded into scrap, no matter how preserved it was!"

Emil rolled forward. "Please, let me see the child. I need to confirm it is a human."

A2 tensed and held the baby closer. Even if 2B and 9S trusted this thing, she did not, and was reluctant to give him over.

"Please, I swear on my life and my memories I will not harm him," Emil pleaded.

She looked down at the baby, then up at her two companions who gave a nod. She sighed and held the child out. Emil peered forward. The baby opened his piercing emerald eyes and looked at the new stranger.

Unfortunately, the sight of the deformed skull-thing caused the baby to burst into tears, and Emil quickly retreated.

"Well, it certainly acts human," Emil said with a sheepish tone as he rubbed the back of his head. He then turned serious and looked directly at A2.

"I need to see where you found him. I have a hypothesis as to what's going on, but I have to check the site to be certain."

"It's a three day jog," A2 cautioned. "And we don't have enough milk for the baby to last that long."

"Not without tackling another moose or two," 9S muttered under his breathe. The older unit politely pretended she hadn't heard anything.

"I think I can help with that," Emil said slowly. He rummaged around in his pack that was strapped to his vehicle and removed a tin can. He then opened it and proceeded to mix the contents with some nearby stream water and then dumped the concoction into a plastic bottle with a rubber nipple on it.

He then shook the bottle, stirring up the contents. Finally, his 'hands' began to glow, and he emitted pulse of white energy into the liquid. It glowed for a few seconds before settling down.

"What are you doing?" A2 demanded.

"The powder was some dried milk I found in some ruins. Surprisingly well preserved," Emil explained. "Even if their technology couldn't survive, some of their food stuffs could. I also added a bit of magic to it so it would sterilize anything bad within it."

"Why were you carrying around old containers of milk?" 2B asked. Emil looked down, embarrassed.

"I, um, I really like milk. I miss the taste so whenever I can I keep some of the good, old stuff for special occasions. Moose and boars don't have very tasty milk, even if it is healthy."

"Will it hurt him?" A2 demanded and Emil shook his head.

"No, it won't. Again, I swear on my life. I have enough formula for maybe two more days, twice if we ration it. But I don't think that's a good idea for a growing baby. So let's hurry up and head to the place you found him." He held out the baby bottle and the senior gynoid stared at it long and hard before grabbing it.

"Let's go." She darted off and her companions darted after her.

"You mentioned magic," she said as she began to feed the baby while running. Emil nodded.

"Yes, it's hard to believe, but it's true."

"How?" A2 knew that humans had tried to tap into some extra-dimensional energy source for the GESTALT Project, and that some of this mysterious energy was incorporated into the androids in various ways – mainly to pull off a POD's Skill Ability – but knew very little about it. In fact, she highly doubted even YoRHa truly knew more about this substance.

The cyborg skeleton rubbed its chin in thought as it zoomed behind her.

"It's hard to explain. You know about the Replicants, right?"

"An early attempt to revive mankind using prototype androids," A2 confirmed. Emil nodded.

"Right. Well, I lived during that age. I can't really remember much, but as 2B and 9S know, I was made to be a weapon of some kind." He sighed.

"Anyways, I gained this power, and retained it even when the Replicant Plan failed. Why? I don't know. I was one of the only survivors. I recall a few others had similar powers to mine, and I vaguely recall two red-headed women who had similar functions, but I was the best at it. I was made for it. Long story short, I haven't a clue how this happened, what I am, or why I can do what I can do. The most I remember is fighting the aliens when they first arrived, and holding them off so the others could rally."

A2 was silent at that. So, he was like them, in a way. A failed attempt to revive humanity. But one that had come to terms with it, and continued onwards. She wondered if she could have done so for thousands of years alone and with no goal. Probably not.

She glanced down at the human in her arms to make sure he was still there. He was, and he giggled and laughed at the blurry scenery, apparently finding the whole thing amusing.

A smile crept up on her lips as she watched him. She had a purpose, now. No need to fret about tomorrow and wonder if today is the day you decide to shut down. Such a wonderful gift.

After a long, tiring run over the course of two days the group arrived at the previous city ruins. It didn't have an official name, since no Resistance cell had been formed there. But it was the closest settlement to the Tower, so 'Tower City' was what A2 decided to refer to it as.

Not that she or the other two androids with her liked to remember the mess that had gone on there.

"Here, in the basement of this building," A2 said, pointing. A few broken pieces of machine lifeforms littered the group still.

The machines were like the androids, in that they were partially bio-organic. Instead of being based off of the human genome though they were a mix of plant DNA. This meant that their bits and pieces would quickly degrade if left unattended, melting into a gooey mush.

That was partly the reason why the wild life grew so tall and rampant in certain places. The machine's corpses were highly fertile and contained accelerated growth properties.

Yet for all their impressive designs they still fell like wheat before the scythe. A2 snorted in amusement at that thought. She remembered an old companion from YoRHa who liked to quote that saying while swinging a custom designed scythe.

"Is something the matter?" 2B inquired, glancing over at the older android.

"No. Just remembered something that amused me, is all," A2 replied. 2B shrugged and turned back to Emil who was examining every nook and cranny of the facility.

They were currently inside the pod storage area, and the skull-machine-thing was mumbling to himself as it explored. 9S was doing some research of his own, delving into the code and internal mechanics of the machines around them. 2B was busy standing guard, watching out for any rogue machines.

A2 was just glad the air was warmer now. She didn't want the baby getting sick from the cold. Still, she stood a ways away from the entrance all the same, just to be safe.

After a moment Emil trundled back to the group, shaking his head.

"Well, I found the answer," he stated.

"Don't keep us in suspense, Emil. How did all of this survive?" 9S asked, waving his hand at the subterranean base. "'Cause you were right about it. The tech and materials should not have lasted this long."

"Magic," Emil said shortly. Seeing their questioning looks, he explained.

"Several of the people inside the pods were infected by the White Chlorination Syndrome," he revealed. "The latent magical essence that lay inside them thanks to the White Chlorination Syndrome never progressed, though, suspended in animation as they were. What it did do was, well, leak out. The magic was carried along by the tubes and wires and pipes and data, mutated and mutating. Eventually, it settled into a few different places."

He pointed into the distance of the chamber. "Like attracts like. Energy to energy. The industrial generator powering this facility is one of the places the magic settled. It's why there was still power. Most of the magic though seeped into the machines and materials, preserving them. And last, but not least, it leaked into the last untainted living thing once the other hosts perished."

Everyone turned their attention to the sleeping baby in A2's arms.

"He's human," Emil quickly assured them, "but he's a hybrid of sorts. He nhas magic, but not the sort that caused White Chlorination Syndrome. He has None of the crippling side effects mortals should have in order to bear this power. Even the Replicants suffered complications trying to use it, and that's why you androids need to use a purely mechanical focus, i.e. your PODs, to properly command it. But not him. The first, and only, true Magic User in history."

"That's why he survived. He has the life force of dozens of other people inside him, which sustained him alongside the magically enhanced cryo-tech. Plus, I believe quite a bit of magic was drawn into him from the outside, which is why the area is so free of it, and why there is very little radio and EMP interference around the Tower, and why it was built there. No magic to interfere with the complex workings designed to do whatever it was supposed to do."

"I see." A2 held up the baby and stared. He yawned and opened his eyes, blinking cutely at the woman in front of him.

"Ma!" he cried out, holding out his arms towards her.

Her breathe caught in her throat and she gasped in shock before pulling him close.

"Yes. Yes, I am your mother," she promised. She wondered what the streaks of wetness rolling down her cheeks were.

9S later informed her they were called 'tears.'


	4. Chapter 4: Start up

_**.**_

 _ **Chapter 4: Start Up**_

 _ **.**_

After the revelations at the cryogenics facility the group had retreated back to Relic City and Emil's home. He eagerly invited the androids and human baby into his residence, stating how nice it was to have guests.

It had been a day since their return, and they were busy making the ruined place fit for habitation. 2B and A2 did most of the heavy lifting, being designed for such roles, which left Emil and 9S to do more precise patch work and take care of the baby.

The latter of which being surprisingly more difficult than expected.

"I swear, I only took my eyes off of him for five seconds! You can check my visual data for confirmation!"

"Calm down, 9S, and help me get him off of there!" Emil shouted over the panicking android.

Meanwhile a cute infant clapped his hands happily as he watched the strange box and the funny boy scramble about trying to get him down from his perch atop a Terminal.

POD 153! Fetch the baby!" 9S commanded after trying to reach for the child resulted in failure.

"Affirmative," the drone announced and it flew up towards the baby.

"Who is a cutie. Who is a cutie. It is you. It is you. Come to me now that praise has been delivered," 153 said in his robotic deadpan. It seemed to amuse the baby though and he crawled over to the POD who scooped him up in its manipulator limbs.

"That was not pleasant. Who knew human infants could crawl and climb so fast?" 9S gasped in relief as the baby was deposited in his waiting arms.

"I have a new-found respect for mothers if this is what they had to deal with all the time," Emil agreed. The baby giggled and blew spit bubbles at the skull-faced machine.

In the past few days the last human had become accustomed to seeing Emil's unusual appearance. He tolerated his presence, and didn't burst into tears when he saw him. Of course, the baby refused to be held by Emil and fought and squealed fiercely to avoid it.

Which made the skull-boy more than a little depressed.

Soon after the pair of gynoids returned, dirty and with a strange pink lubricant coating their shoes and pants.

"Coolant system sprung a leak while we were installing it," 2B explained the two males saw their stained get-ups.

Emil sighed in annoyance. "I just finished patching it last week! Alright, give me a bit, I'll go fix it up."

He rolled out, toolbox in hand, and retreated to the rear of the beat-up manor he had repurposed for himself. With four extra people living inside it though it required major updates and changes, not to mention a degree of baby-proofing and cleaning.

9S just pointed to the showers.

"I fixed up the water heater. You should be able to use it now."

"Thanks, Nines," 2B said fondly, and even A2 had a tiny smile in appreciation of a hot bath. 9S looked down, a blush on his face.

"It's no problem!"

"Ma! Ma!" the baby whimpered, holding its arms out towards A2.

"Shhh, it's alright, I'm here," the senior android cooed, taking the baby from the Scout model and being careful to avoid getting him dirty.

"Has he been fed?" she inquired as she rocked him gently. 9S shook his head.

"Not yet. And that's something I needed to speak to you about." 9S's tone was grim. The other androids perked up at that and listened carefully.

"We're running out of sterile powdered milk and baby formula. And Emil can only do so much to purify the contaminated stuff. Not to mention Spring is almost over, which means no more nursing moose or boar, and thus no more fresh animal milk."

He sighed. "We have, at best, enough for two, maybe three weeks. The fresh milk we can now store thanks to the rebuilt fridge, but that only extends the deadline by another week or so."

The androids' expressions turned serious.

"What can we do?" A2 asked, worried.

"Thankfully, the baby is about a year old, based on what Emil said," 9S continued. "So, it can start being weaned onto solids. We could start now, in fact. That is, if we had a few things."

He gestured towards the outside. "Fruits, vegetables and other such foods are widely available, but what we need first and fore most is a sterilizer designed for consumables, and a few medicinal additives for said food that will help boost the baby's immune system and allow him to even eat the stuff without becoming sick or worse."

"For the first item, we need a mechanic who can work with biological components. For the second, we need a biochemist who can synthesize a formula that has safe additives."

"Do you have any ideas about who we could use? You sound like you've given this some thought," 2B noted. 9S blushed again.

"Just doing what I'm best at; thinking and planning." He cleared his throat. "And yes, I have two ideas for possible individuals who could help us and keep the baby a secret."

"Who?" A2 inquired.

"Jackass for the role as biochemist…"

"Wait, her?" 2B asked, incredulous. "Isn't she dangerously unstable and a bit too bomb happy?"

"She's not the most stable android I admit," 9S stammered, seeing the death glare A2 was shooting him, "but she's a 'free spirit' as the humans would say, and also good at her job. She designed those synthetic emotion drugs did she not? And they work on both organic and biomechanical beings so she clearly knows her stuff."

"Plus, as you mentioned, she's eccentric. She could wander off from the Resistance every so often and meet up with us if need be, and no one would be any wiser."

"Would she talk?" A2 demanded.

"Not if we asked her not to," 9S asserted. "She's a scientist, and if we offer her the chance to study the last human alive, I think she'll promise us anything for the opportunity."

"What about the other person?" 2B asked as A2 thought over the first individual.

"Do you remember Hatchet?" 9S asked. At 2B's blank look he explained. "The Resistance member who went rogue because he stole a YoRHa android frame and rebuilt it because he wanted a family?"

"Oh, him," 2B nodded as memories came to her. "I was honestly impressed with his skills. He managed to repair an S-Model YoRHa android which had been slated for decommissioning due to severe damage. And, he gave it a personality as well."

This explanation was more for A2 and Emil's benefit since they'd been confused about what the pair had been talking about. The latter having returned from his repair work.

"He was a renegade, but now that YoRHa and the Resistance have new purposes, he might have rejoined them," 9S cautioned. "But he owes 2B and I for not turning him in when we found what he'd done. Plus, I believe he understands the value of family. He and his, um, 'son' I guess, won't tell anyone about the baby."

"Where do they live?" A2 inquired.

"The Crumbling Desert. Jackass was the Desert Zone's commander and answered directly to Anemone. And Hatchet had set up in the abandoned city in the desert."

"If that's the case, you'll need to be careful if you want to avoid detection," Emil spoke up. "Most of the machine life forms in the desert are still active and hostile, while the Resistance has spread throughout it. They've repurposed the oil well like I said, and are mining for resources now."

"I'll go," 2B declared. "They both know me, and I'll have an easier time venturing into the desert alone."

"Take 153 with you," 9S suggested. "We can stay in contact with you through his interface, and he'll watch your back."

"Very well," A2 said with a nod of confirmation. "Do what you can to bring us food and supplies for the baby. And make sure the two androids are willing to keep this a secret."

"We may need to show them the baby to convince them," 9S cautioned.

"If they make trouble I will cut them down," A2 vowed, 2B nodding along in agreement.

"Well, this sounds like a plan!" Emil said happily. "Should I prepare some snacks for guests if they come?"

"Sure, why not, Emil," 9S said in agreement. The skull-machine rolled off to the kitchens with the Scout following behind as 2B darted out the door, POD 153 floating at her shoulder.

A2 just glanced down at the baby and, once she was sure she was alone, began to tickle the baby's tummy and babble nonsense words at him. The baby loved it.

And 9S and Emil were wise enough not to mention how well sound carried through the building.


	5. Chapter 5 Recruitment

.

 _ **Chapter 5: Recruitment**_

.

2B dashed through the Crumbling Desert, a trail of sand and dust puffing up behind her every step. She had only just arrived and was starting to remember why she hated the place so much.

The grit and sand just got everywhere! And because some genius had decided that androids needed to feel some degree of pain – ostensibly in order to allow for proper damage and danger assessment and 'fight or flight' responses – that meant 2B could feel the individual granules itching down her skimpy outfit.

She vented her frustration on a group of hostile machines. It made her feel a little better.

Her first target was Hatchet. He lived the furthest inside the Desert Zone, but that meant she could swing by Jackass' post on the way out. And she'd only have to run past one patrol instead of two or more.

Keeping to the cliffs, 2B was impressed by how quickly the Resistance had spread out. It had only been about a month since the Tower Incident happened, and the Logic Virus nearly wiped everything out.

Although, based on what 9S had claimed, the 'Logic Virus' was more of an invasive radio wave broadcast on every possible frequency rather than an actual data corruption. This was because, according to the diminutive android hacker, an actual virus would be constantly bombarded by anti-virus protocols on the side of the Androids, and the hivemind style for machine life forms was actually very good at locating and cutting off infected portions of data.

Which meant, in layman's terms, a typical computer virus would not work. The corruption had to be constantly broadcast in order for it to do any actual damage. As such, once the Tower fell, the signal was lost and that meant the anti-virus systems inside the Androids could get to work on repairing the damage. Just a few days afterwards, and all those who weren't actually physically destroyed were supposedly back to 100%.

And now, capitalizing on a newfound source of freedom, and a need to rebuild, the Resistance were well on their way to finishing a small scale industrial processor and mining operation in the desert.

Oil to be processed into petroleum for plastics and other byproducts, including a tiny bit of fuel for the older vehicles and generators. Gold and silver and copper to be used to make the delicate components for Plug-In Chips and other vital systems for an android. Stone to be processed into building materials.

The Earth was finally giving back and being reclaimed from nature after thousands of years of war and destruction.

"POD 153, do you detect any androids in the ruined housing complex?" 2B queried as she slipped over the lip of the cliff and down into the bowl-like depression where the city lay, buried by sand.

"Two androids detected." Her visor lit up as she was shown their location.

"Same place as last time," she mused to herself. She darted quickly into the shadows of the buildings and crept towards the one which held the android she was looking for.

She spotted them quickly. Hatchet, the taller male android, and the as of yet unnamed S-Model YoRHa unit. With black hair, interestingly enough. She wondered if it was dyed. Most YoRHa had been designed to have white or light colored hair. Only older models had darker colorations for the most part, like many of the Resistance androids.

2B quickly put those frivolous thoughts out of her head. It seemed the refurbished Scout had spotted her and she needed to focus.

The boy-like android tugged on Hatchet's shirt, and he looked up warily from whatever item he'd been fixing, hand reaching for a rifle.

"Who goes there?" he demanded. "My son hasn't attacked you, so you're not a machine, or here with weapons drawn."

2B stepped out of the shadows so the pair could see her clearly.

"You!" he gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I need your help," she admitted, hands wide to show she was not a threat.

He frowned. "And you came to me? Aren't you one of YoRHa's poster girls for service? Why do you require my aide?"

"My friends and I have taken a leave of absence for the moment," 2B said carefully. "I'm sure you know about the Logic Virus, the Server, and everything else."

He nodded slowly. "It was broadcasted to every Access Point and Terminal in the world. We picked it all up on ours. That was you, then?"

"No, it was mostly 9S and A2," 2B said.

"9S… he was the android with you, right? So he's involved in this as well?"

"Yes."

He sighed and put his gun down and patted the S-Model on the head.

"Talk. What do you need?"

"A specially designed food sterilizer and processor. Not industrial grade, but for small use. However, it has to be custom made for an exclusive life form's needs," 2B explained.

"What, you found a rare animal and want to keep it as a pet?"

"Not quite, but similar," 2B admitted. "You'll be working with someone else if you agree to help."

At his inquisitive look she spoke. "Jackass."

"That maniac?" Hatchet gasped.

"She is a skilled bio-chemist whose abilities will be needed in conjunction with the sterilizer."

Hatchet shook his head in disbelief.

"if you accept, I will meet you in three days at the Desert Zone's outskirts to escort you to the location you'll be working at." Her message delivered 2B turned around and abruptly shot off.

Hatchet watched the dust trail for a bit before looking down at his son.

"What do you think? Should we help them?"

The S-Model nodded rapidly. The rogue Resistance member chuckled softly.

"Yeah, I guess we do owe them. Fine, well see what this big secret project is."

.

Through the sands 2B ran, swiftly approaching the Oil Well. Resistance spotters noticed her as she approached and she soon received requests to stop and identify. She did so, coming to a halt in front of a hastily erected barricade to the well's entrance. A smoke stack could just be seen peaking over the edge, a thin trail of inky darkness spilling out.

"2B, YoRHa Agent, here to see Jackass," she called out. Confusion crossed the guard's faces.

"We haven't received any notices from the Bunker or Anemone about YoRHa visitors," one of the men shouted at her.

"I'm here on personal business!" 2B replied. A look was shared between them and after a moment the gates creaked open.

As she entered she could vaguely hear some of the Resistance members talking.

"…doesn't look like one of the Emotion Junkies. Think she's here for something else?"

"Doubt it. Most YoRHa only come to Jackass because they want another hit."

"What if she's a friend?"

"Jackass doesn't have friends. It's in her name."

2B ignored them all and made her way towards the back. She spotted a white and brown dressed female android approaching her, a familiar blindfold over her right eye.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't the crazy gal who helped me developed the E-drug," she said with a smirk and a swagger as she greeted 2B.

"I've got to thank you. I've made a nice little side business selling my stuff, and with so many new 'volunteers' I've been able to expand the emotional range and effectiveness." Her grin turned feral. "And ever since the Bunker fell I've had YoRHa operatives out the ass, rogue and loyal, coming to me for a bit of 'comfort.' But that's besides the point. What do you need?"

"Can we talk in private?" 2B asked and the sociopathic android shrugged.

"Eh, sure. Come 'ere." Jackass dragged the white haired gynoid into a corner of the refinery.

"What do ya want?"

"I need your expertise in bio-chemistry to create a serum for a rare, nigh extinct specimen," 2B said in hushed tones.

"Hmm, off the record pet-keeping? For shame," Jackass leered. "You want my help. What's it worth to you?"

"Limited access for studies. Nothing invasive or harmful, though."

"Doesn't sound all that appealing, but the secrecy makes the job juicier," Jackass said.

"You'll have to work with Hatchet. Possibly together to put some items together."

"The runaway genius mechanic?" Jackass uttered with genuine surprise. "You got him on this?"

At 2B's nod the manic grin returned. "When and where?"

"Meet me on the outskirts of the Desert Zone in three days. I'll escort you to the place you'll be working."

"Alright fine, getta out here, ya crazy mooch!" Jackass loudly, catching the attention of nearby Resistance members who began whispering. 2B nodded, understanding what the other android was doing and left.

As she returned to the rundown manor she raided a few machine camps for components. These would keep the place running until the meeting day.

Her hand twitched and reached unconsciously for her sword as she vowed to protect the precious life her and her family had been given.

At the thought of calling the dysfunctional group of androids and, um, 'person' that was Emil a family made 2B feel warm and fuzzy inside.

She frowned. Maybe she should have 9S perform a check-up on her.

.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Chop-Shop himself!" A loud, arrogant voice called out over the crest of dunes as Jackass strode confidently down towards the outskirts of Relic City.

Hatchet groaned and looked over at the approaching gynoid.

"I'd heard you were coming, but to be honest I was hoping you'd be a no-show, Miss Malpractice," Hatchet retorted. At his side his son clung to his shirt while also carrying a toolbox and assorted scrap.

Jackass raised an eyebrow when she spotted the black-haired android.

"So, the rumors were true. You made yourself a son." She then scoffed. "Personally, I'd have made a wife, or maybe a sex-bot. Or perhaps you like 'em young and with a penis."

"You're as abrasive as ever," Hatchet muttered. "Stay away from my boy. I don't want your insanity infecting him."

"Ooo, so harsh," she sneered.

Further banter was cut off as a black and white blur landed in front of them.

"Enough arguing. Do you have what you need?" 2B asked as she rose from the tiny crater her landing had made.

"Some scrap and bits and pieces," Hatchet confirmed, patting his son and the containers they had.

"I got it all right here," Jackass said, opening her cloak to reveal syringes, tubes, and other medical tools hanging from the inside.

2B nodded. "Follow me," she said shortly. The quartet proceeded to blur across the ground as they moved out.

While Jackass and Hatchet were not up to YorHa standards, they had been veteran Resistance soldiers who'd survived centuries fighting the machines, occasionally alongside other YorHa agents. They could keep up. That earned them some acknowledgement from the B(E)-Model.

"Here we are," 2B announced after a while. They'd reached the old manor and Jackass was looking around in approval.

"Swanky little spot. Certainly looks like a cozy little love nest for you and that Scout Model. Nines, was it?"

"9S," 2B retorted tersely. Before the crude android could reply Emil trundled out, shocking the newcomers.

"Hello! Welcome to my home! Please, come in! 9S and I prepared some tea and snacks!"

"What is that?!" Hatchet demanded as the skull-child rolled back inside.

"That's Emil. An expert on magic," 2B explained shortly.

"I've seen and heard of that thing before. I always thought it was a malformed machine," Jackass admitted, thoroughly spooked. She wasn't used to be shocked or scared. It annoyed her.

The only one not still startled was surprisingly the young S-Model who merely looked curious.

2B led them inside to a hastily arranged living room, where Emil and 9S were waiting for them.

"Hatchet, Jackass, greetings!" the Scout said cheerfully. His smile faltered when he saw the younger S-Model. "And… um, I'm sorry I don't know your name."

"Sebastian," the black-haired android said softly.

"A pleasure to meet you, Sebastian. I'm 9S, but you can call me Nines if you like."

The boy-bot nodded shyly and sat down on a crate that was being used as a couch. His father quickly joined him while Jackass sat down on a barrel of some kind.

"So, where this super rare specimen?" Jackass asked. "Is it skull-boy?"

"Here." The words were softly spoken, but they carried authority. A2 stepped out into the living room holding an object that made the three new androids jaws drop open.

"Impossible," Jackass hissed.

"It's true. This is the last living human on the planet," A2 assured. The tiny baby opened his eyes and yawned cutely before jabbering excitedly when he saw the guests.

"But, the broadcast… they're all dead, the Moon base was a lie!" Hatchet stammered.

"Yes, it was. But there were other safeguards and contingencies in place. Thanks to a liberal dose of magic this child survived in suspended animation for thousands of years. We only unearthed him a short while ago. A few days after the Tower fell," A2 revealed.

"I will agree to anything you want if you let me take some samples and do some experiments on it," Jackass said immediately.

"Only if they are harmless to him and done in my presence," A2 stated, stressing the gender pronoun for the baby. The scientist nodded rapidly in agreement.

"I'll sign a fucking contract in blood if it makes you happy!"

"So, you need me to prepare some items to safely process food for him to eat, is that it?" Hatchet asked. 2B and 9S nodded while A2 kept an eye on the panting and drooling scientist.

"Why not go to YoRHa?" He asked after a moment.

"They would use him as propaganda and likely raise him on a pedestal instead of raising him as a child," A2 said. "When he is older and can make his own decisions we will reveal him. Until then, he is to remain a secret. Is that clear?"

The Resistance androids nodded. A2 turned her gaze onto the black-haired S-Model.

"What about you? Do you promise to abide by our rules?" the senior android asked sharply.

"What is his name?"

The question took them all by surprise.

"Pardon?"

"Everything has a name. What is his?"

A2 shared a look with 2B, 9S, and Emil and realized they had never gotten around to naming the baby.

"Alexander," A2 said eventually. "His name is Alexander Spero. 'Defender of the people' in ancient Greek, and 'Hope' in Latin. He will be both of these things. A defender of our purpose. And a beacon of hope in this bleak world."

A round of solemn nods went around the room. Although several of them had given up on the motto of YorHa and its purpose, a part of them still longed for their creators to love and guide them.

And here was their final chance.

Jackass clapped her hands together, breaking the mood. Everyone turned to her with a tiny hint of annoyance at the interruption.

"So, where do we start?"


	6. Chapter 6: Reclaim

_**.**_

 _ **Chapter 6: Reclaim**_

 _ **.**_

Everything after that fell together rather well. Hatchet and his son Sebastian were incredibly enthusiastic about building the food processor, with 9S bouncing between helping the former Resistance android design the machine and Jackass with her own research.

On her end, Jackass had taken a few samples of Alexander's blood and a number of detailed scans in order to properly ascertain what he needed supplement wise.

Over a month had gone bye, though, and they were still nowhere near completion.

A2 was growing worried. She and 2B had gone ruin diving and salvaged what supplies they could. They hunted down as many wild animals that could be milked but for the most part they were too large to be kept at the mansion, and the season for fresh milk was almost at its end.

If they could not finish the food processor in another month Alexander would starve.

"How goes the work you three?" Emil asked, rolling over to the trio of male androids as they worked on the complicated device. He was holding onto Alex while the androids labored away.

"Not well. We've managed to do most of the software thanks to 9S, but we need a few parts to complete the Food Processor and Sterilizer, or FPS," Hatchet bemoaned.

"What do you need?" Emil asked. "Maybe I could help scrounge up the parts."

"There are two parts that are the most important, yet also the most difficult to aquire," Hatchet said with a moody expression. "We need an Auto-Scan +15 OS Plug-in Chip and a Hydro-Carbon Fluid Filtration Capacitor."

"The former is a high-grade YoRHa only Plug-in, while the latter is a highly advanced machine life form part," 9S said seriously. "Neither one is going to be easy to find."

"Oh dear," Emil muttered worriedly. "What can we do?"

"We find them. Whatever the cost."

Everyone jumped a bit as A2 strode into the base. She threw down a sack of random scrap and walked over to Emil. Alexander giggled happily as he spotted her, and her taciturn expression turned loving as she took him from the magical skull-in-a-bot.

"Where's Jackass?" she asked after a minute, looking around.

"In the back, working at her lab. She claimed to have made a break through," Emil said, pointing towards the back of the manor.

A hastily improvised medical laboratory had been set up in one of the old rooms, and Jackass had made herself at home. A lot of equipment had been brought in from the Resistance bases nearby, but most of the tools she needed could not be moved so she was constantly running back and forth.

Thankfully none of her comrades considered her actions suspicious. She was already seen as an eccentric, border-line defective android.

"If you see her, tell her to hurry up," A2 said, tickling Alexander's tummy.

"Tell me yourself," a haughty voice called out and the woman in question strode into the living room.

"Speak of the Devil and she will appear," Hatchet grunted.

"Aw, you're so sweet and flattering," she said in a faux-vapid tone. She faced A2 and passed her a syringe filled with a blue-green substance.

"Here. The first round of inoculations," she declared, slumping into the couch. Emil had found an actual couch frame in a heap somewhere and managed to fix it up, adding real leather coverings to it along with down stuffing. It was nice, if a bit sticky when it got hot.

"What's it for?" A2 asked, tilting her head and bringing the syringe closer for a look.

"Well, humans got sick a lot as children, and the Server had a bit of data on those illnesses," Jackass explained as she kicked her feet up and let them rest of Hatchet's tool box. He bit back a growl and busied himself with the inner workings of the processor.

"Before they got wiped out, some egg-head managed to record the chemical compositions of every known virus and ailment and their available treatments. Thanks to that, what you're holding is a vaccine for chickenpox, measles, mumps, flu, and a variety of others. The full list is extensive but you can read it here," the scientist said, passing it over to 9S since A2's hands were full.

"Won't this overwhelm Alexander?" 9S asked worriedly. "If I recall, vaccinations worked by injecting a piece of the virus itself into the child so their bodies could identify it and fight the problem off later in life."

"True. Which is why I included a special something to the mix," the crudely named android said. "Included in that serum is a specially designed delayer protein that is coating the individual viruses. It will help speed up the white blood cell's analysis of each illness, while also only activating one virus at a time in his body."

She steepled her fingers together, and took on the appearance of a mad scientist.

"When his body has deemed him able to handle the next virus, the delayer proteins will dissolve into the white blood cells, and help them fight the newly released virus. All the while the rest of the viruses lie inert and dormant within him. Ingenious, no?"

"You're sure it will work?" A2 asked cautiously. Jackass frowned at the lack of faith.

"Yes, it will. I know my stuff. All the tests I did on his blood samples pan out. I simply scaled accordingly for his full dosage."

A2 hesitated for only a moment before pressing the syringe against Alexander's left heel. He began to wail when the depressor went down and the needle shot into his foot.

She shushed him softly and removed it once the vaccine was delivered.

"There you go, my brave one. It's all better, now."

The baby whimpered and nuzzled into the gynoid's chest.

"Did I miss something?" 2B asked as she came into the house, her own sack of scrap bulging.

"Alexander just got his first shot of vaccinations," 9S explained.

"Yup! It's all thanks to my brilliance!" Jackass crowed.

"9S, Hatchet, are you certain we only need two pieces of technology for the processor to be finished?" A2 inquired, glancing at the two.

"Yes."

"Then we must find them, and soon. Does anyone have any suggestions?"

"I might have an idea for finding the Hydro-Carbon Fluid Filtration Capacitor," 9S admitted slowly. "Pascal is still alive, are they not? They might know where one might be."

"Yes, she might," 2B muttered. "What's the second item?"

"A YoRHa Plug-in Chip," Hatchet said. "As for that, I know a guy who worked with body disposal. He's the one I got Sebastian's body from. He might be willing to help."

"Alright, here' what we'll do," A2 announced. "9S, you go with 2B to Pascal, see if he has the part. Do whatever they ask if they propose a trade."

She turned to Hatchet. "I will go with you to find your contact with YoRHa. Merely as a precaution, of course. Is that fine?"

"Perfectly," the bio-mechanic said.

"Sebastian, stay here with Emil and look after Alexander," Hatchet instructed.

"Yes, father," the young-looking S-Model stated.

"And what about me?" Jackass inquired as she lounged on the couch.

"Keep working on the rest of Alexander's medicine, of course," A2 said as if that was painfully obvious. Which to be fair it was.

"Fine, don't get your panties in a knot," she grumbled.

"Alright everyone, we have our missions. Let's go!" A2 passed Alexander over to Emil before darting out the room, all but dragging Hatchet along. 2B and 9S followed at a slightly more sedated pace, but made sure to bring POD 153 with them. Jackass just rolled her eyes and headed off to do something somewhere else.

As the adults all left the manor for their various duties Emil and Sebastian shared a look, then glanced down at the squirming little pudgy baby.

"Do you know how to change diapers?" Emil asked cautiously. Sebastian shrugged.

"Ok. Well, how hard can it be?" he mused. Alexander giggled and a rank odor filled the room. It seemed their own test was about to begin.


	7. Chapter 7: Infancy Mission (Branch A)

**_._**

 ** _Chapter 7: Infancy Mission (Branch A)_**

 ** _._**

"So, this is where your contact lives?" A2 asked incredulously.

"What, were you expecting him to live on a Resistance base or the Bunker?" Hatchet asked, looking over his shoulder at the trailing gynoid.

"Yes, actually," she admitted, looking over the area. Garbage as far as the eye could see filled the landscape. Here and there cyclopean towers belched smoke as old pieces and parts were recycled for use in newer ones. Moving about were shrouded androids and a few squat forms in cloaks who could only be machines.

The Graveyard. The sole junkyard and recycling facility for YoRHa. Everything had to be recycled on Earth now. There just was not enough manpower to staff and defend new mining and factory sites. Plus, YoRHa had always endeavored to make sure the Earth was habitable for humans once more, and that meant more than just killing the alien's machines. It meant keeping the biomes intact, Greenhouse Gas Emissions low, and toxic substances to a minimum. As the old humans would have said, the androids were Green and eco-friendly.

Though it was officially under YoRHa's command and staffed by the Resistance, the people who were assigned to work at the Graveyard were invalids who could no longer fight or operate in the field and lacked the finer skills for more sensitive work like programming or data management.

Oddballs and misfits called this place home. For some reason A2 felt a connection with the place and its people.

"Come on," he said, leading the way. "Guss is down here. Operates Recycler 17, which usually gets all the mostly intact android bodies. If he doesn't have the Chip we need, he'll know where to find it."

"Will we need to avoid security?" A2 asked, glancing around warily. Hatchet shook his head.

"Nah, YoRHa only dumps their trash. They never stick around to guard it. Instead they leave that to the Resistance."

The mountains of rubble and trash grew larger as they approached, and Hatchet's face grew more relaxed. At least until a pair of YoRHa Flight Suits shot overhead.

"I thought you said they never stayed around for guard duty," A2 accused as she crawled up out of the pile of junk she'd dove into to avoid detection and the Resistance deserter nodded dumbly.

"They don't! In and out, that's YoRHa's motto when dealing with matters on Earth," Hatchet claimed.

"Things have changed. Or have you forgotten the Bunker is now a floating city and the Server, the sole purpose for YoRHa's existence, has been revealed to be a pack of lies?"

Hatchet's expression darkened. "I had, actually. The world seems so much simpler and innocent around Alexander. Enough to make you forget we're in the midst of a social revolution."

A2 nodded solemnly and they proceeded to sneak into the Graveyard, managing to do so undetected. There was a current of annoyance inside of her at how slow they were going, though. Her baby was waiting for her.

"Ok, this way," the bio-mechanic said as they reached one of the massive recycling facilities. "And let me do the talking."

He rapped three times on the solid steel door that lead to one of the gargantuan facilities, then rapped again three more times in a different pattern. After a minute a slow tapping came back, and Hatchet replied with a rapid-fire tap of his own.

"Thought you were dead," a weathered old android said, half of his body damaged to the point his chassis and mechanical skeleton were exposed to the open.

"We need something, Guss," Hatchet said.

"Get inside before the patrols see you," the man said, ushering them into the building. Heat stung them as the two androids entered the plant. Large blast furnaces were going, melting down metals to be recast. In another part a workbench covered in bits and pieces was rather noticeable due to the mortician-style slabs next to it containing a number of broken YoRHa bodies.

"What happened here? Why are YoRHa Flight Suits in the Graveyard's airspace?" Hatchet asked as the decrepit android hobbled back to his work station.

"The Bunker fell is what happened," the android said with a sigh. "Astonishing that it survived at all. Should have completely blown itself to pieces when the self-destruct order came through, but somehow Commander managed to jettison the virus infected reactors. The blast threw it out of orbit and sent it crashing down into the Atlantic."

"I'd wondered how it had endured," A2 commented idly. "I could have sworn 2B and 9S said they saw it get destroyed."

"Who's the broad?" Guss demanded, seemingly noticing A2 for the first time. He quickly backed off when she glared back, resting a hand on her weapon's hilt.

"This is A2, the reason I'm here," Hatchet revealed. "Look, you were saying something about the Bunker, and why YoRHa is here?"

"Oh, right, yeah," Guss said sheepishly, coughing awkwardly. "Sorry, processors aren't what they used to be. Too much smoke and grit in the air, makes 'em run funny."

He smacked the side of his head, and a faint whir could be heard from within his skull. He then continued his explanation.

"YoRHa needs materials to repair the Bunker so they come to us for that. Worse, though, is that there is glut of Feral machines trying to break in constantly now. Ever since that Tower appeared any Networked machine life form has been trying to steal parts to repair themselves. It's gotten pretty bad, and the two YoRHa soldiers are barely enough to drive them off."

Guss shook his head. "But that's not your problem. What do you need?"

"An Auto-Scan +15 OS Plug-in Chip," Hatchet said and the recycler whistled.

"That is some heavy-duty hardware you want, friend," Guss exclaimed. "I thought you finished repairing your son? And were done with Resistance work?"

His eyes drifted to the ragged gynoid at Hatchet's side. The bio-mechanic quickly shook his head.

"No, no, Sebastian is fine. And this is a companion of mine. She's here to make sure no Ferals attack me."

"Why does a rogue YoRHa want such a high-grade Plug-in? From the looks of things she's an A-Model, and an early one at that. She doesn't need a +15 anything chip, all her gear is +20 minimum," Guss pointed out.

"You can tell just by looking at me?" A2 asked, surprised.

"Of course. I've seen plenty of androids come through here, and I've recycled my share. You A-Models always have a stiffness to you. You hold yourselves too straight. Not nearly as flexible as other androids. Which makes sense, seeing as you were the Prototype model the best of the YoRHa units are based off."

Guss sighed. "Haven't seen a specimen as impressive since the E-Models, but they were a special case. Based directly off of you A's, correct?"

"Yes. Just like the S's," A2 said tersely. The battered android wisely caught on and turned to Hatchet.

"Back to business. I had what you were looking for. Sadly, the machines stole it in the last raid."

"Then we take it from the machines," A2 declared.

"Ok then. They're based a few miles off in an old quarry. Kick their asses for me."

"Wait, you're not going to tell her not to fight?" Hatchet asked, shocked.

"Of course not!" Guss laughed. "She's an A. They're known as the Assault Type for a reason. And they were the frontline for centuries. Not even the hundred or so machines that are at the mine have a chance against her."

"Good to see someone understands my talents," A2 said proudly. Guss waved her off.

"Go on, git! And take the south side gate, the YoRHa won't be there this time of day."

The androids thanked him before sneaking out.

"He seemed nice," A2 claimed. Hatchet nodded.

"Good man. Knows a lot about androids too. Helped me with fixing Sebastian as well."

The two shared no further words as they blitzed off into the distance, hunting down machines.

"What exactly do these two components you required do? How will they help Alexander?" A2 inquired as they headed towards the rogue machine lifeform base.

"Well, the item we're after, an Auto-Scan +15 OS Plug-in Chip, is installed in top of the line Scanner models and PODS for use when they have to study, decrypt, and a slew of other processes done on a microscopic level," Hatchet revealed.

"With that chip, it's possible to fully analyze items less than a micron in size in seconds, or pick-up and analyze traces of magic. Emil said that Alex is immune to White Chlorination Syndrome, but I don't want to take any risks, and need this particular chip to make sure none of Alex's food is contaminated with too much magical energy or other extra-dimensional issues."

"I see, that's good thinking, A2 praised. "What about the other one?"

"Ah, yes, the Hydro-Carbon Fluid Filtration Capacitor. An impressive bit of alien tech, that one. It's a combination filtration system and energy storage unit. It's what a machine uses to move and direct the energy from their core to the rest of their body. And is what makes them able to process and convert all manners of things into energy they can use," Hatchet said. "Did you know that machines can photo-synthesize like plants, but also consume oil, petroleum, and electricity for fuel?"

"Interesting," A2 admitted. "But what will it be used for?"

"Humans need all kinds of vitamins and minerals in order to function. Sadly, many of those are no longer possible to obtain," Hatchet said sadly. "Extinction events around the world have wiped out many plants and animals which contained the necessary materials for a body to grow. However, if we use the Hydro-Carbon Fluid Filtration Capacitor, it is possible to synthesize artificial ones he can use by using its conversion feature. Some of Jackass's research into Alex has shown us which substances are the most vital for him, and with her data we can feed him what he needs."

That's good to know. I'm glad I can count on you and Sebastian to help Alexander," A2 said warmly.

Further conversation was put on hold as they arrived at the abandoned mine. The two androids stared down in shock at the seething mass of machine lifeforms that littered the area. Many were bouncing madly around for no particular reason, others were chanting scripts of binary and words they had picked up, while a select few were fashioning crude weapons out of scrap.

The mine itself was a lot larger than they'd expected. It was a strip mine, with a single road coiling around the massive pit. Rusted husks of buildings and scaffolding dotted the area, creating paths between some of the more damaged areas, and only a single mineshaft seemed to be open; the rest were caved in and blocked by rubble. Most of the machines were at the bottom, but a few patrolled the walkways.

"That's a lot of them," Hatchet said quietly. He'd hadn't seen so many machines in one place in years! It would take at least a full battalion of Resistance soldiers to take care of this many enemies, and even then, it would be a costly fight. No wonder YoRHa had dispatched Flight Units to protect the Graveyard!

"Which one of them would have the chip?" A2 asked, undaunted by the numbers. Alexander was counting on her, and she'd faced worse odds in her life.

Hatchet gulped and fingered his weapons; a combat rifle and a rocket launcher, both Resistance issue but with minor tweaks and upgrades. He looked around the milling horde with a handheld device and pointed to where a number of android bodies had been impaled on spikes around the weaponsmiths, which were set up in the very center of the pit.

"There, see that android with the blue hair? That's a Scanner model. And based on the feedback of this remote analyzer, it has the chip we need still installed!"

"So, I need to bring back her head, then," A2 said as she drew her katana.

"Yes, but I advise caution; the chip could be damaged if you try to fight down there. I suggest we draw them away from the area before engaging them."

A2 nodded at the bio-mechanic's assessment and they snuck around to a spot where they could attract the machine's attention and lure them into a killing field.

The spot they chose was an old stretch of highway that led to the mine's main access road. The mine's entrance was narrow, with a high cliffside on one side and a deep fall into the open pit on the other. There we only a few flight capable machine units, so the machines would have to charge up the road which wound up towards them, and there was only enough room for three stubbies to stand side-by-side at a time. Hatchet could snipe the fliers while A2 could hold the road indefinitely at the chokepoint.

Hatchet took the first shot by firing one of his rockets into a hovering flier. The rocket detonated, and took down the machine in a single hit. Immediately though it attracted attention from the dozens of machines still around. As one, the charged, focused on him and the figure of A2 who leapt into the fray, every swing of her sword sending parts flying.

Hatchet reloaded the rocket launcher, aimed, and downed another flier before it could target A2. He repeated this process five more times before the flyers were all gone, ruined and smashed and burning.

He clambered up the rocks to get a better view of the battlefield and whistled in awe as A2 tore into the machines.

"As expected of one of the first generation Assault Units," the engineer muttered as the platinum hair gynoid split a Goliath in half from head to groin. She used the momentum of her attack to piercing a Buzzsaw wielding stubby and used its corpse as a shield to block a few energy blobs.

Not to be outdone, Hatchet began to fire his remaining rockets in any ranged units he could spot, crippling them and preventing their dangerous yet slow moving projectiles from harming A2.

With an elegant twirl, A2 landed in front of an Elite Stubby, her katana slicing its head off. She swung her blade in a lazy arc, the yellowish-green ooze that was the oily blood of the machine lifeforms flying off of its edge.

"We're done here," she muttered, looking around the battlefield. Not a single machine was left standing. All had been put to the sword or blown to bits. Calmly, she approached the impaled body of the Scanner Unit and pried their chest open, seeking out the OS chip they needed. After some rummaging she found what they needed and turned away.

"Let us return home. I want to be with Alexander," A2 said. Hatchet nodded in agreement.

"Sure. We can install the part when we get there. Assuming 2B and 9S get their part, we should be good," he said.

A2 hummed thoughtfully. "They will not fail. I have faith in them."

Hatchet chuckled. "Yeah. I know. They're pretty awesome."

The ran off across the landscape back towards the ruined domicile that had become more of a home to them than any other place.

All the while, and unbeknownst to either, a YoRHa flight-unit observed them from a distance, silently transmitting data back to the Bunker.


	8. Chapter 7: Infancy Mission (Part B)

**_._**

 ** _Chapter 7: Infancy Mission (Part B)_**

 ** _._**

"Do you think Pascal will be happy to see us?" 9S mused as the pair of androids darted through the trees.

"Possibly. We did have a good rapport with her, even after all the mess with the Tower," 2B affirmed. "However, she will no doubt be busy rebuilding, just like YoRHa and the Resistance. She may not be able to spare anything to help us unless we help them in return."

"Just like old times, huh, 2B?" 9S said, fondly remembering all the fetch-quests and side missions they had accomplished over the years.

"Indeed," the gynoid claimed, and there was no hiding the tiny hint of affection in her voice.

"Hey, 2B, there was something I wanted to ask you…" the Scanner Model began, but was cut off by the older female androids declaring, "We're here!" as they arrived at the new spot of Pascal's village.

Not unlike the old one, it was built in the forest around a series of trees and connected by wood and metal walkways. However, there were very few huts, and even fewer machines.

They recognized a few. A large machine with a pink bow on her head. A floating items salesman. The tired guard at the entrance. The smith. Jean, the philosopher. The boy-bot.

But there were too many missing faces. The blue ribbon-wearing older sister of Pink Bow. The weapons merchant. The hovering greeter. The philosopher's followers. The boy-bot's family.

Too many dead from the Logic Virus. Too many wiped out by the mindless rage of the Evolved Machines and Tower. Too much loss.

"Oh my! 2B! 9S! It's been so long! I am glad to see you both survived!" A synthesized feminine tone called out to them, and the two androids couldn't hide the smile when they saw Pascal approach them.

"Hello. It was a near thing. Almost lost everything," 9S said with a sad smile. They shook hands before bringing up the purpose for their arrival.

"I hate to ask this of you when you are clearly still recovering, but do you have a spare Hydro-Carbon Fluid Filtration Capacitor lying around?" the shota android inquired.

"What on Earth could you want with that?" Pascal wondered.

"It's a secret, for now. But I'm sure A2 would be glad to tell you in time. Right now, though, it's imperative we have it," 2B said. "We'd be more than happy to compensate in any way you require."

"…We do have a few," Pascal said slowly. "But it is not my place to give them away."

"What can we do, then?" 9S inquired.

"You don't understand, this part is a major facet in building new machine lifeforms. Akin to the heart of a machine, as well as its soul. A Hydro-Carbon Fluid Filtration Capacitor works in conjunction with our 'brains' and our cores, and together it is what allows a personality to develop outside of the Network. Many machines have one, but they are set to self-destruct when the machine shuts down, and they are almost impossible to remove once installed. And it is something that we desperately need to shore up our numbers here," the mayor of the hidden community claimed. "Ever since the events with the Tower and the Virus and the Evolved, there are hardly any left. And even fewer locations capable of constructing new ones."

"We only need one," 9S pushed, but Pascal shook her head.

"If you must have a Hydro-Carbon Fluid Filtration Capacitor, then I cannot help, I'm afraid."

"Where could we find one, then?" 2B demanded.

"The factory might have a few left," Pascal revealed after a moment of thought. "Or perhaps the Forest Kingdom? I know that they had a stash somewhere in the castle to repair their 'king' in the event of an emergency."

"We'll check the kingdom first," 2B declared. 9S nodded and Pascal bowed.

"I am so sorry I could not help you. I hope this does not affect our future relationships."

"Don't worry, we're not blaming you," 9S assured her. "Plus, I think we'll be seeing more of you sooner or later. A2 has a few ideas for a partnership we'd like to discuss."

"Of course!" Pascal said happily. "And before you go, let me send you an picture of the part you need so you can recognize it!"

The conversation over and the image data, the androids dashed off into the forest to seek out the part they desperately needed.

After half a day moving through the towering trees of the forest region they chose to rest in an isolated clearing. Night was falling, and they did not want to be out and about when that came. Night-Vision or not, fighting in the dark was sub-optimal.

"Thanks again for letting us stay here, Shepherd," 9S said polite to the machine who ran a shelter for animals.

"It is no problem. You have helped me often. You are friends to me and the animals. It is a pleasure to help you in return," the hooded machine claimed.

"What can you tell us about the other machine in the Forest Kingdom?" 2B inquired. Shepherd's head lowered in shame.

"Madness. Anarchy. Virus drove most insane. A few of the non-Networked holed up in the castle, protecting the new king. But he is also infected. Has insane demands. Crazy schemes. Orders machines to die for his amusement."

The two androids grimaced. Still, they nodded in thanks for the kindly robot's hospitality, and sped off into the forest towards the crumbling castle.

"Every time we come here, something always happens," 9S sighed as he jumped from branch to branch.

"That does seem to be how it turns out wherever we go," 2B replied.

When 9S shot his companion and woman he had (not-so) secret feelings, she merely shrugged and looked away, embarrassed.

"We visit Relic City, we get thrown into several messes ranging from a Goliath unit attack, to rogue YoRHa androids, to discovering the fate of the aliens, to running into whatever Emil is. We visit the Crumbling Desert, and we encounter Adam and Eve for the first time. The Amusement Park? Insane machine woman who somehow managed to hack numerous android corpses and used them as bait and weapons. The Forest? A2, as you already mentioned. The Sunken City? A Leviathan-like machine and a psychotic replicant who kidnapped you."

"Ok, Ok, you've made your point, 2B," the Scout model conceded. The short haired woman just nodded, pleased at her victory.

"So, how do you want to do this?" he asked after a minute of tree jumping.

"We either find the current King of the Forest and kill him for the part, or we find their treasury and steal one. Which do you think would work?"

"Well, if he really is infected as Shepherd said, then we might need to put him down. So, the former option," 9S decided after thinking carefully.

2B nodded, content with the plan. "Very well. Prepare yourself for battle, 9S!"

In no time at all, the pair arrived at the castle which, according to 9S, had once been the site of a kingdom the Replicants had established during the ill-fated GESALT Project. And before that, it had been a national monument, a relic of the human's long gone medieval era.

Now, it was a crumbling ruin inhabited by psychotic machines ruled over by a despotic monarch. Strangely, this was very similar to how the human's Middle Ages had been. What goes around, comes around, as 9S quoted when he reported that.

"Enough history, 9S. We have an important mission to perform. What can you see of their defenses?" 2B demanded, chastising her partner.

"Oh, sorry! Well, let's take a look," the shota-droid said, peering through his visor-blindfold using the built-in zoom function.

"Let's see; metal stakes forming a palisade wall in front of the gate? That's new. Blaster-wielding machines patrolling the walls? Also new. Machines armed with spears running through drills in the courtyard? Not so new."

"Any way in?"

"Well, we could go in the front entrance," 9S joked in response to 2B's query. When she shot him an annoyed glare he hastily shut up.

"Or we could try going around? If I recall there was a hidden grotto near the castle where the First King was enshrined, and we could sneak in that way."

"That might work. And we should be able to avoid too many guards that way," 2B mused. "Now that Healing items are in short supply and replacement parts are hoarded by the Bunker, we need to avoid getting hurt as much as possible."

"Agreed. Then, let's go! Time to sneak! Now, if only we had a cardboard box this would be complete," 9S said, that last part muttered under his breath. 2B shot him a strange look but ultimately ignored him. 9S had always been 'unique' when it came to eccentricities like that. Even after countless reformatting wipes.

He was far more human than many other YoRHa, 2B thought fondly of the shota-droid.

The trip into the castle took far less time and effort than they had expected. While it was true most of the machines were guarding the castle, they were only doing so from the front, and as such, they left a few areas devoid of patrols. One such region was the Grave of the First Forest King.

Clambering over hills and through rubble took the two YoRHa androids straight into the heart of the old castle. And from there, sneaking around until they found the part they needed.

"Now, if I was a machine, where would I store the spare parts?" 9S mused to himself, looking around at the crumbling ruins. "These machines seem to have regressed to a feudal state, so anything precious would likely be kept in the treasury…"

He shot a glance at 2B. "Did we pass through any room like that when we first came through here?"

"There were a few places that might have served that purpose," the battle gynoid said slowly, accessing her memory banks. "I think there was a room with a few treasure chest we went past. We should check them again."

They shared a nod before darting off into the depths of the castle. After a bit they heard the clanking of machinery, and froze, quickly attaching themselves to the shadows.

For a moment they hid, tense, but after nothing came they started to move, this time to check on where the sound had come from. A partially broken wall provided the answer.

From a crack in the wall they observed a machine, painted purple and blue, that was twitching and sparking from its head, stamping around and waving an old YoRHa issue Type 40 blade.

A crown-like object made from the fingers of androids was bolted to its head, and it was shouting orders at the various machines around it.

"Build a statue of me! Make it out of all the traitors! Melt them down!" it demanded.

"It really is a mad king," 9S whispered. However, 2B's gaze was on something else.

"Look, in that treasure chest!"

"Whoa, look at all that loot! Pristine Cables, New Bolts, Clean Nuts, even a Meteorite! Think of all the upgrades!" 9S stated, practically drooling. His eyes were then drawn to what 2B had originally spotted.

Sitting inside one of the open chests amidst numerous other parts and pieces was a cylinder-shaped object with wire dangling from it. In the middle was a device that looked like it was part of a machine's core.

"It looks just like the image Pascal gave us!" 9S said excitedly.

Unfortunately, his voice was a tad too loud, and all the machines instantly turned to face the wall they were hiding behind.

"Oops," the S-model said, a holographic sweat drop manifesting next to his head. 2B stared at him for a second, trying to figure out where that emoticon came from, and why he had installed such a mod, before turning back to the approaching hostile machines.

"Swords only, 9S. We can't risk damaging the part!" 2B instructed. She proceeded to deliver a devastating kick to the wall and knocked it down onto the front rank of the approaching machines.

She leapt into battle, striking and slicing. Limbs flew, oil spurted, and sparks danced.

"Beautiful…!" 9S murmured as he watched her move, entranced.

"What was that?"

"Uh, nothing, 2B!" 9S stammered, before drawing his own blade and joining the fray.

"Kill the usurpers! Thieves! Assassins!" the insane Forest King cried, sparking even harder. He lunged at 9S, who countered the attack with ease. Fighting against legions of machines on his own and A2 had given the small android exceptional combat data, and he parried the thoughtless blows, slowly advancing and driving the king into a corner.

Both figuratively and literally.

"Hu-hah!" 9S shouted, bringing his sword in an arc. It knocked aside the blundered blade, and on the reverse swing, he decapitated the machine king.

"The king is dead, long live the king," 9S muttered. He then rushed to the treasure chest and snatched the Hydro-Carbon Fluid Filtration Capacitor from the pile of loot.

"I have it, 2B! Let's go!"

She nodded and darted for the exit, eager to escape. Their mission was complete. Time to return home.


	9. Chapter 7: Side Mission

Chapter 7: Side Mission

Sebastian was not an android of many words. His father didn't mind. Hatchet was happy enough having a son. Even if said son was ten times stronger, faster, and smarter than him.

Sebastian was an Scanner Model, rebuilt by his father. He had no memories of life before. Most likely though he had been one of countless S-types who's stumbled onto some data they shouldn't had, and been deleted by an E-type.

He didn't mind. He was content. Living with his father had been a blessing. Being free was joyful. Even if they had to hide and skulk in the ruins, they'd manage to make a life.

Now, he was living with others. And a part of him he had not known existed, the part that craved companionship, was sated when he joined this motley 'family.'

He had been afraid when he'd sensed the YoRHa android approaching. Only when she had drawn closer did he recognize her as one of the two who had not only helped father build him, but they had also allowed them to live when they discovered what Hatchet had done with the parts they'd brought.

He liked 2B and 9S for that. And when the former came to them, all but begging for help? He'd urged father to accept their deal. Strange and mysterious it may have been, but something within him, the S-type part that loved discovering things, wanted to know what she'd wanted with the machine she'd commissioned.

He did not regret it at all. Father might, seeing as he constantly complained about one of the other new members, a Resistance gynoid named Jackass, but this was an amazing opportunity! Not only a live, honest-to-god human, but a Replicant mage-skeleton-robot-thing as well!

So much to learn! So much to discover!

And one of those things had been dealing with a human infant.

Don't get him wrong, Sebastian loved the human as only an Android could. Not to mention odd feelings of protectiveness welled up inside him whenever he held that fragile form.

But caring for little Alexander was exhausting work! There was waste disposal, the worst aspect of organic beings. Then there was food, which Alexander loved to play with. Emil had to make odd noises, like that of a motor, to convince the baby to eat the mushed goo masquerading as food. It got everywhere!

Then, the crying. Oh, how he wailed! That was perhaps the worst, because it took hours to settle him down. Sebastian wished that A2 would return soon. She was the only one of their 'family' that could soothe Alexander's tantrums easily.

At least POD 153 was helpful. The mechanical assistant's manipulator claws were surprisingly dexterous, and able to quickly change Alexander's diapers. That was alright with the Scouter and Emil. The former was squeamish about touching anything that had once been pureed carrots and peas, and the latter had no real hands to perform delicate diaper-changing operations.

Oh, and Jackass was there, too. She didn't do much, preferring to lock herself in her room.

At first, she had been loud, and tried to take unauthorized 'samples' from Alexander. She was swiftly rebuffed.

Oddly, after six failed attempts she had relented, choosing instead to mutter insults towards Hatchet for rebuilding the black-haired S-type.

Emil had mentioned the word 'tsundere' once in a joking manner towards her, and promptly had his head launched several feet away thanks to a vicious roundhouse kick courtesy of the mad scientist.

Sebastian was annoyed that neither of them would explain what that word meant to him. He pouted. It did nothing expect cause the two 'adults' to coo and call him cute.

A huff nearly escaped the shouta-bot. He was not cute!

Still, Sebastian wouldn't trade these experiences for anything in the world.

Right now, though, he was crouched in the bushes near the hideout, peering at a furry four-legged creature as it grazed. He had spotted it during patrol, and called it in. The ancient cyber-skull had been extremely excited.

"I found the target, Emil," Sebastian said, speaking into the communication bead in his ear. It was primitive compared to the Sensor-Blinds or a POD, but it was all they had to talk back and forth with.

"Excellent! Now, be very careful. They can be rather aggressive if provoked," the Skull-Boy warned. "Offer him the tasty carrot nice and slow."

Sebastian nodded, even though Emil would not see it, and rose slowly, a fat, juicy carrot held in front of him.

The horned ungulate looked up warily at the android as it appeared. Sensing no danger, it snorted and went back to chewing at the grass.

"It is so small. Are you certain about this, Emil?"

"Of course I am, Sebastian! Goats are one of the most useful animals! Their milk is healthy enough even for a human baby to drink, and while the nutrient soup your father and Jackass have cooked up is good and all, sometimes you need the real stuff," Emil explained.

The goat looked up again and let out a warning screech as he started to approach. He froze, still holding the carrot.

"It sounds angry."

"I would imagine she's trying to warn you off," Emil said. "Don't worry, though! Follow my instructions, and give her the carrot!"

Sebastian gulped, and stepped closer. The goat tensed, ready to bolt, but sniffed the air and locked onto the carrot in his hands. It ambled over, cautiously sniffing the food and the android, before biting the offered vegetable.

It chewed, and as it did so Sebastian reached down and cautiously pet the top of its head. It froze, but sensing no malice, allow the android to continue the petting.

"Soft," he murmured in awe.

"Yup, goats are pretty great," Emil agreed. "I remember my friends… the village they lived in had goats as well… I liked to pet them… with her…"

The being trailed off, lost to its shattered memories.

After a bit of melancholy silence on both ends, Sebastian held out another carrot, but stepped back as he did so. The goat bleated in annoyance, but started to follow the young android.

It took five more carrots, two radishes and a tin can to lure the goat back to the hideout. By that time, she had been named by Emil and Sebastian. Chompy was hardly the most dignified of names, but the goat could care less as long as she was fed tasty things.

"We did it!" Emil crowed, flinging his arms into the air at their success! Baby Alexander, seated on the couch, emulated him, tossing his pudgy fists up and shouting babbling nonsense. Sebastian also raised his fist into the air, but much more sedately.

"We'll have to build a pen for her tomorrow," Sebastian said, reaching down and petting Chompy as she wandered around the base.

"Yeah, we'll do that. Should have some scrap wire and wooden posts lying around to make a fence of sorts," Emil agreed. The goat avoided him, like all animals did, and he tried to not let the hurt show.

Chompy nosed around the area, and after a bit of exploring approached the baby. Sebastian tensed, ready to leap in to protect the child, but sighed in relief when it nuzzled the infant instead. She seemed to take a liking to the baby human.

Alexander giggled and pet the goat as its nose nudged his belly. It bleated softly, and rubbed her head against him. He wiggled around cheerfully. The goat than rose up and hopped onto the couch before laying her head in Alexander's lap protectively.

"Good thing you spotted her when you were out on patrol yesterday," Emil praised the boyish android. "I was surprised to hear that there were still goats around the place. Haven't seen many of them since the alien invasion. Guess they're returning to the area now that there's less fighting."

"I was surprised as well. When I first saw it, I thought it was a hideously deformed baby moose," Sebastian chuckled.

"Yeah, I can see why," Emil snickered. "Though to be fair, what with the damaged ecosystem and all, that there are still boars and moose around is pretty miraculous when you think about it."

"And foxes and wolves. Can't forget those," Sebastian reminded.

"Of course not! Prey has to have a predator, or there'd be so many boar and moose you'd have to wade through them all!" Emil pointed out. He then tilted his head. "I wonder if those wolves are actually descendants of feral dogs that survived the collapse, and they just retro-evolved to better suit the new, wild world."

"I don't think anyone really cares," Sebastian pointed out bluntly, and the skull-head-boy sighed in depressed agreement.

"Yeah, you're right. Sometimes it's hard to come to grips with the apocalypse, even if I lived through several of them already," he said sadly.

"Can you imagine the looks on their faces when they walk in a see a goat?" Sebastian asked, a smirk forming on his face as he tried to ease the mood. Emil laughed.

"Ha! Yeah, that would be a great prank… actually, you want to help me with that?"

Sebastian grinned. He idly wondered if this playful streak was his own, or a creation of his rebuilding. He supposed it didn't matter as he discussed showing off the fruits of their labor to the other androids when they returned with Emil.

He was having fun. He wondered if this was what families were like. He hoped so. This made him feel 'human' inside, and he did not want the happy-tingly feelings to stop.


	10. Chapter 8: Family Reunion

_**.**_

 _ **Chapter 8: Family Reunion**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **A/N: Looks like something went wrong when I uploaded the chapter earlier. Here it is again, hopefully better.  
~~~**_

A2 stared at the newest member of their home. The goat stared back before going back to chewing on the couch.

A2 continued to stare at the ungulate, or rather, at the specially designed saddle upon its back, where baby Alex sat and giggled, patting the goat's horns.

"Why is there is a goat in our house? And why is Alexander riding him?" she asked, turning her attention to Emil and Sebastian, who shuffled a bit in fear.

"I thought it would be a good idea to have a decent source of milk for Alexander until the FPS was completed," Sebastian replied nervously. "Records, and fragments of Emil's memories, informed us that goat milk was extremely nutritious. So, we kidnapped a goat."

Hatchet began chuckling, before wilting as A2 turned her attention to him.

"What? It's funny. You know, 'kidnapping,' and a baby goat is called a 'kid'…" Hatchet said, before trailing off under the unimpressed deadpan of the elite combat gynoid.

"Fine. But you will be in charge of taking care of it while it lives with us," A2 finally decreed, turning back to the S-Model.

"Of course. By the way, how did the retrieval mission go? Did you acquire the part?" Sebastian asked after suppressing a grin.

"Indeed. It was difficult, as there were more enemies to eliminate than expected, but we managed. Once 2B and 9S return, we can make the Food Processor. And then Alexander will be safe."

She reached out for the baby in question, plucking him from the goat's back. A whimper escaped him as he was removed from his comfy, mobile throne. Tears soon began to fly as he wailed. Emil and Sebastian winced at the harsh sound, while Hatchet sighed and strode off to his work station to do prep work, fiddling with his audio feed as he went.

"Shhh! Shhh, it's alright! It's me!" A2 gasped, quickly rocking Alexander back and forth in her arms. The sobs subsided after a while, and he cuddled into the android's chest.

"Did he behave himself while we were gone?" A2 inquired, stroking the fluffy head of hair he possessed as he quieted down.

"He was a good boy," Emil assured her. "No problems at all!"

"What about Jackass?"

"She didn't really do anything besides work in her room, go back and forth to the Resistance Base in the desert for a few things, and work some more. She wanted to take samples, but we said no, not unless you were here, as the agreement stipulated," Sebastian revealed. A2 nodded happily at that, before turning to Emil.

"Is she here?"

"No. She just left, in fact. Muttering something about 'cultures,' and 'stingy jerks,'" Emil reported.

"Very well then. And what about 2B and 9S? Where are they?" the senior android inquired, glancing around the room for some sign of her two family(?).

"Haven't returned yet," Emil admitted, a note of worry in his voice.

"What? But they should have been back first! Pascal's village is only a few hours away at best!" A2 said, shocked. Alexander started to tear up as he heard the mood shift.

"I don't know. Wasn't able to raise them on any frequencies. I have considered trying to find a way to build handheld communicators for us to use, because we lack any real method of talking over long distances. It will be risky, though, as rogue machines could pick up the transmissions and home in on our location," Sebastian pointed out.

"That is something to consider," A2 assented.

"I like that idea a lot!"

Everyone whirled around as 9S's voice filled the room. 2B and 9S entered the room, dirty, clothes torn, and clearly exhausted. But, the Scanner victorious held up a machine lifeform part.

"We did it! Pascal didn't have one, so we had to venture off to the Machine Kingdom," 9S explained as he walked over, passing the part to Sebastian before slumping onto the couch.

"Hey, get off of the furniture, you're covered in dirt!" Emil cried, flailing at the young-looking android.

"Oh, come on, Emil, give me a break! 2B and I had to fight through a forest full of machines to get this part, and then we had to evade a YoRHa recon party!" 9S whined.

"YoRHa? Here?" A2 gasped.

"A small group of R-type YoRHa androids appeared in the forest as we were leaving it. They caught sight of us and apparently one of them recognized 9S," 2B informed, shooting said Scanner a dirty look. "They then proceeded to chase us for hours. We had to lose them before we returned here."

"Hey, it's not my fault I have such a recognizable face!" the nerdy shota android complained.

"She recognized your, and I quote, 'cute butt.' Said Recon model then began to wail and cry about you standing her up. Explain that." There was a distinct frosty tone to 2B's voice, and her question was laced with killing intent.

Emil wisely backed away from the doomed shota-bot, and 9S gulped down a bit of terror.

"Well, you see, 2B, 13R and I used to work together before I was assigned to you. I asked her out on a date. But, before I could make good on the promise, I was called back to the Bunker and reassigned to you. Honestly, I thought she would have forgotten the whole thing," 9S said with a weak laugh.

"Interesting. And her claims that you promised to marry her and stood her up at the altar?"

Now there was a noticeable chill in the air, and sparks were flying off of 2B. Literally. Her weapon was glowing and energy was coursing along its blade.

"Um, funny story about that!" 9S gasped out, terrified for his life. "I may have, by accident, proposed to her?"

2B took a step forward, reaching for her blade.

"I found an old, tarnished jewelry ring in a ruin one day while with her, and gave it to her as a present! I only discovered that that was a human mating ritual when 21O told me about it later!" 9S exclaimed, pressing up against the couch in an effort to see if he could meld with the furniture to evade her wrath.

"And?"

"And the placed I had planned to take her out on a date was an old human church! Again, I only learned that humans got married in those places after the fact!"

"I don't get it. Why is 2B so angry with Nines about accidentally marrying another android?" Sebastian whispered to Emil and A2.

"Oh, those two are totally in love with each other, they just don't want to admit it," Emil whispered back. A2 nodded in agreement. "And the hilarious part is, neither of them realize they both like each other, so they keep dancing around the issue!"

Emil snickered. "I sort of remember something like this with my first friends! One of them loved this guy, but he was into her sister, while she was not interested, and then there was this other girl who wanted to get with him, and then I had a fling with his sick daughter… it was a lot of fun!"

A2 and Sebastian looked at the bizarre bone-boy with confused looks before glancing back at the arguing 'couple.'

"Should we try and stop them?" Sebastian asked after a moment, eyeing 2B's sharp sword that was about to be drawn.

"Probably," A2 said noncommittally, before turning back to the adorableness in her arms.

"Are we going to?"

"Only if they start breaking things."

"They better not wreck the couch, that took me hours to build!" Emil said angrily.

"Come on, 2B, it's not that big of a deal!" 9S pleaded, trying to keep the furious gynoid from slicing him apart. "Look, I'll make it up to you! We can go on a date of our own?"

"And you won't stand me up like you did 13R?" she asked, releasing her grip on her weapon.

"I would never do that to you! I lo- respect you too much to do that!" 9S stammered.

"Shoot, almost managed to say it," Emil muttered under his breath with a shake of his head-body.

A hint of pink came to 2B's cheeks and she relented, sheathing her blade and stalking away.

"Tomorrow. 7 pm. The Meat Shack. You're paying. Don't be late," she called over her shoulder.

9S slumped in relief. "Phew! Almost didn't make it!"

At that moment, Jackass walked in. "I'm back, bitches!"

She looked around, seeing the collapsed 9S and the snickering Emil, while A2 held Alexander close, whispering to him.

"You'll never be that incompetent with women, will you, Alexander? No you won't, you'll be a real gentleman! Yes you will! Yes you will! Not at all like silly, blind, can't-get-a-hint Uncle 9S!"

Jackass blinked her one good eye in confusion. "What the hell did I miss?"

"Just some good old fashioned sexual tension," A2 informed, glancing up. "We got all the parts needed, by the way."

"Oh, neat. Well, have fun with that. Almost done with the second round of upgrades for Alexander."

She paused before heading back into her room. "Why is there a goat eating 9S's pants?"

"Wha? Hey, stop that!"

~/~/~/~/~

Mission: Obtain parts for the FPS – Complete!

Side Quest: Obtain a pet for milking – Complete!

Rewards: One functional Food Processor and Sterilizer! A fresh supply of tasty goat milk! And a date for 9S!


	11. Chapter 9: First Words!

_**.**_

 _ **Chapter 9: First Words!**_

 _ **.**_

"So, how did your date with 2B go, Nines?" Hatchet inquired as the young-looking android entered the living room. Sebastian, Emil, and A2 perked up and began to discreetly listen in.

After apologizing profusely to 2B about marrying an R-type YoRHa gynoid, the timid and fearful S-type had quickly taken her out on a date. Now, the housemates wanted all the details. The drama between the two was, in fact, the best source of entertainment available.

"Not bad. It was fun to just unwind with a friend," 9S said, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, and the Meat Shack is still intact. I'm glad Cookie and the others at the outpost survived the Tower's attack."

"So! Did you and 2B do anything fun? Anything 'steamy' perhaps?" Emil asked, rolling over to join in the conversation.

"What does heated water have to do with anything?" 9S inquired with a tilt of his head. There was a round of coughs and everyone looked away. Emil rolled off, whistling to himself as Hatchet busied himself with the innards of the soon-to-be complete Food Processor. A2 turned her attentions to little baby Alexander.

"It means getting intimate in a way that humans might consider 'sexual,'" Sebastian said bluntly, speaking up and informing 9S of the innuendo. Three sets of palms smacked foreheads as the youngest of the present androids destroyed 9S's innocence. Alexander just giggled and blew a spit bubble.

"WHAT?! No, no, we didn't do anything like that!" the S-type protested, cheeks turning red.

"Are you sure? Miss 2B was wearing a very lovely and revealing dress. And not the typical YoRHa combat-skirt, but an actual formal dress. From what I've gathered, women only wear something like that to attract the attention of a mate. Much like a bird would do with their feathers. Only with reversed genders."

"What happens with humans -and androids, I suppose- does not always correlate with what the animal kingdom's inhabitants might do," A2 explained for both of the S-types benefit.

Sebastian nodded slowly in understanding, putting aside the data for another day, while 9S stammered and continued to suffer from overheated systems in his cheeks.

"What up, nerds?" Jackass called out from the top of the steps, descending as if she were a regal queen, and not the drug lord she actually was. She tossed a vial full of glowing purple goo up into the air and then caught it, before lobbing it at A2.

The A-type's superior reflexes made catching the item an easy task. She frowned at the cavalier attitude from the female Resistance android.

"I wish you would not act so flippant about Alexander's medicine," she said, a hint of steel in her tone. She then carefully inserted the vial into a medical syringe and pressed the injector against Alexander's left heel. He let out a whimper as the needle jabbed him, the vaccines flooding his bloodstream.

"Relax, I knew you'd catch it," she said with a laugh. She then turned her one good eye onto 9S and smirked. "So, do anything nasty last night? You two got home pretty late, after all! Did you perhaps manage to remove that rod from up 2B's ass, and replace it with one of your own?"

"NO! Why is everyone so crass about what happened last night?! It was a friendly outing, not an event of debauchery!" 9S cried, falling to his knees as comically oversized holographic tears poured down from his face.

Everyone deadpanned, gaining a holographic sweat drop over their head. They weren't sure how 9S had convinced them all to install the 'Emote Mod,' but he had, and now they had to live with it. God help them all.

"Come on, kid, the only kind of night on the town is one that ends in 'debauchery.' Why, back in the day, I would take White out for a spin, and we'd totally break all the rules about fraternization! Damn, she was a kinky minx…" Jackass said, gaze drifting back into the distant past.

"Wait, White? As in, Commander White? As in, the commander of the Bunker and all YoRHa forces in the world?" 9S asked, looking up at Jackass in shock.

"Oh, yeah. Way before she got the job she and I fought side by side in the 11th Machine War. She was just an ordinary C-type YoRHa android, one of the first, and I was a run-of-the-mill Resistance member with a fondness for explosions and science. You know how they say opposites attract? Well, we attracted, all right. All the time. All day, every day…" a perverted giggled escaped the mad scientist, and everyone did their best to move out of the way in case her perversion managed to infect their own systems.

A2 sighed at the antics and looked back to Alexander, who was playing on the floor with wooden blocks Sebastian had carved for him. Letters were on each side, so that the last human could form words and learn to read and write from an early age.

"Bla!" Alexander said, raising one of the blocks up to his mother.

"Yes, indeed, that is a block. Can you say 'block?'" A2 asked sweetly.

Alexander thought it over before nodding. "Bla! Bla!" He waved the wooden toy around and A2 giggled softly.

"Alright, then. 'bla' indeed. Can you say anything else? How about 'mama?'"

Again, the baby mulled it over before shaking his head. "Ubba!"

"Ubba? Oh, do you want Uncle 9S?"

"Ubba!"

The S-type dutifully walked over as his 'name' was called out, and he scooped up the growing infant.

"Oof, you're getting heavy! Look at you with all this pudge!" the shota android said, tickling Alexander's tummy. He gurgled in joy.

"Ubba! Wan abba!"

"Seems like he wants 'Auntie' 2B, now," 9S chuckled. "Sorry, little guy, but she's still asleep. Maybe later."

"Ugg?" Alexander then asked, scrunching his face up in thought.

"Come on, I'm not that ugly, am I?" Emil wept as he heard the baby's name for him.

"You are kind of gnarly," Jackass said without mercy, eyeing the bizarre skull-face the ancient being possessed. "Like the hideous love-child of a skeleton and a machine."

Emil whimpered sadly before rolling over to 9S's side. He then grinned down at the baby who waved his hands up at the scooter bound entity.

"Want to hold him?" 9S offered, but he was quickly turned down.

"No, not yet. I haven't finished building a new set of arms. The ones I previously had were getting rusty, and with how fast Alexander is growing, I'd hate to see him get hurt if my arms snapped off from the weight."

"Yeah, probably for the best," 9S agreed, passing the baby back to A2 who took him gladly.

"POD 153! Where's Alexander's milk?" she called out.

"Attention: Mixing process complete. Milk Formula is on the way," the POD announced, flying out of the kitchen with a bottle of baby formula in one hand. "Caution: This is the last of the preserved powdered milk. All that remains is Two days' worth of fresh goat's milk."

"Well, it's a good thing the Food Processor will be up and running by tomorrow, then," Hatchet called out. There was a clunk and a fizzling sound, before a whine filled the living room. "Make that by dinner time! Sebastian, quick, pass me a Talos Circuit Melder!"

The engineer's son rushed over with the requested tool, and soon the whine became a hum. Hatchet sighed in relief, and smiled before getting back to work.

"Excellent. Here you go, Alexander. Drink up, and tomorrow you can have something else just as tasty!" A2 declared. The baby happily grasped the bottle and began sucking for all he was worth.

In a few minutes the meal was over, and A2 proceeded to burb the infant.

"Now, what do we say when we burp?" A2 asked. Alexander laughed.

"Urp!"

"No, we say 'excuse me,'" after burping," the motherly android scolded. "Isn't that right, 9S?"

"Absolutely! All the human guides on manners, common courtesy and etiquette state one should always say 'excuse me.' It's polite."

"Ebba-bet?"

"Close," 9S said with a fond smile.

Alexander then looked around at everyone, smiling. "Ubba!"

"Yes, I'm your 'uncle,' I suppose. Can you say 'mama?' I know she'd loved to hear it," 9S said, trying to cajole the baby into speaking.

Baby Alexander's face took on a pensive look, and he narrowed his eyes in concentration. He swept his gaze over the group that was watching him and opened his mouth to speak.

"Come on, say 'mama,'" A2 all but begged under her breath.

His lips twisted as he tried to shape the word he wanted to say.

"Come on!" A2 whispered eagerly, smiling widely.

Centuries of experience was suddenly shouting at Emil that something was about to happen. The skull-boy looked around in a panic, confused as to why his danger senses, honed by age and a touch of magic, were screaming at him.

"Jackass!"

Utter silence. Emil swore he could hear the sound of glass shattering in the distance for some reason.

Alexander just wore a happy smile, arms stretched out towards the android in question.

Stiffly, A2 passed the infant over to 9S who took him and quickly stepped out of the firing line. Jackass wanted to run, but there was nowhere to hide that this crazy mother wouldn't find her.

A2 loomed over the trembling Resistance android. "Your name is Jaqueline."

"Pardon?" Jackass -now Jaqueline- inquired, confused.

"My son's first words were a swear word. A dirty, filthy swear word."

"Um, actually, he was saying my name…" she began, only to cut herself off when a murderous glint entered A2's eyes.

"His. First. Words. Were. A. Swear. Not. A. Name." She leaned in close. "Am I understood, Jaqueline?"

"Yes, ma'am! Crystal, ma'am! My name is Jaqueline, ma'am! Not Jackass, ma'am!" she cried, snapping a salute.

A beatific smile crossed over A2' face. "Wonderful. Now, I have to punish you for teaching my son a bad word."

"WHAT?!"

"9S, what was the most common way humans would discipline people with bad mouths?"

"Well, um, normally the offender would have his mouth washed with soap, as a sort of symbolic cleansing act," 9S said slowly, utterly terrified for his life. This was not A2, the loving mother hen of the group anymore. This was A2, YoRHa's longest active Most Wanted criminal, and the most powerful android alive.

"But, um, usually this punishment was reserved for children and not adults," 9S mentioned.

"Oh, that's fine. Since Jackass taught an innocent child such a naughty thing, it's only fair she receive the child's punishment for speaking the swear word. Isn't that right?"

"Noooo!" Jaqueline cried, trying to run. A hand latched onto her shoulder and the Resistance android felt the metal in her body creak and warp from the sudden force.

"I think we have some dish soap somewhere in the kitchen…" A2 muttered to herself as she dragged the mad scientist away.

"Why, God?! Why did you let your humans build us with taste receptors?!" Jaqueline wept as she and her captor disappeared into the depths of the house.

Once more, utter silence fell upon the living room. It was broken by cute, childish giggles.

"Jackass!"

"ARGH!" a strangled scream erupted from the distance.

"What's with all the racket?"

Heads turned as 2B appeared, walking down the stairs. She looked around, confused by the faces that looked like they were suffering from PTSD.

"So, what did I miss?"

"Jackass!"

"No, please, no mo-rrggglp!"


	12. Chapter 10: Delicious suffering

**.**

 **Chapter 10: Delicious suffering**

 **.**

"And there… we… go!" There was a clunk and a buzz, and then a low humming sound. Hatchet stepped back, a wide grin on his face as he examined the machine in front of him. It looked similar to a blender crossed with a sewing machine fused with a coffee maker made entirely of chrome.

When 9S had asked the ex-Resistance android 'Why chrome?' the answer had been a simple 'Why not?'

9S had then tried to explain to Hatchet that that was not an acceptable answer when performing science.

Jaqueline – or Jackass back then – had then interrupted and claimed that yes, that was a 'totally acceptable answer, dipstick.'

To this day, neither side would give an inch when it came to the debate.

But back to more important matters!

The Food Processor and Sterilizer gurgled for a bit before a pale blue nutrient paste was expelled into a cup.

Hatchet picked up the glass and dipped a swap into the blue goo, checking the substance with another device nearby. His grin grew wider.

"We have food!" he exclaimed.

"Wooo!" 9S cheered, clapping wildly. 2B and Sebastian's applauded as well in a more subdued manner, while Jaqueline rolled her eyes at their antics. Still, even she couldn't keep a smile off her face.

"Wow! Great work, Hatchet!" Emil praised. The mechanic took a bow.

"No problem at all! Now, the final test!" the male Resistance android said, handing the glass of blue paste to a silent A2. She took it, and using a spoon, scooped out a tiny bit and held it out to Alexander.

The baby examined it curiously, leaning forward in his highchair. He knew that spoons equaled food, but he had come to find that they tasted yucky. Still, it was blue, unlike the evil orange stuff they tried to make him eat…

He opened wide, and A2 slipped the spoon in quickly. All the artificial people in the room held their breath as they watched the baby swallow.

"Nummy!" Alexander exclaimed. "Mo!"

"He likes it!" A2 cried in joy.

"I added some blueberry flavoring to the mix, hence the blue color," Hatchet said cheerfully. "This way, even he could enjoy it!"

"Brilliant idea!" 9S praised. Emil nodded in agreement.

"I concur! I always hated carrots when I was a boy, so I completely sympathize with Alexanders dislike of that mashed version of the food we tried to get him to eat," the skull-boy said.

"Well, now that you have food, and the last of the medicine should be finished by week's end, what do we do?" Jaqueline asked.

Stillness feel onto the ground, and everyone looked at each other.

"Well, it's been a while since Sebastian and I were back at our home in the desert. We really should be heading back to check on it," Hatchet said eventually. There was a clear note of dismay at the thought of leaving, though. One that Sebastian echoed with his depressed nod.

"Anemone has been riding my back for a while now about getting that damned oil refinery upgrade," Jaqueline added, an annoyed frown on her face.

Emil and 9S let out disappointed sighs.

"Well, it's been fun," 9S said sadly. "But we won't forget the fun times we've had together."

"You're right!" Hatchet agreed.

"True that," Jaqueline added.

"What are you all talking about?" A2 demanded, confusion written across her face.

"I think they believe they have to leave now, since their jobs are done," 2B said, which caused A2 to shake her head in disbelief.

"Why on Earth did you think we would throw you three out?"

"Pardon?" Sebastian asked, head tilted to the side.

"You don't have to leave if you don't want to," 2B elaborated.

Emil nodded. "That's right! We're all friends here! And the mansion has plenty of room for everyone to stay!"

"So, we don't have to pack up our stuff?" Hatchet inquired.

"Well, you should you probably clean up the mess you made while building the FPS," A2 said dryly. "But other than that, I think Alexander would be sad if everyone left. Isn't that right?"

"Dabba!" the toddler called out cutely, blue paste smeared over his face.

"How did he make such a mess in so short an amount of time?" 9S wondered.

Hatchet, on the other hand, grinned and guffawed. "Well, you heard the human! Guess we can't leave anymore!"

"I'm glad. I am rather fond of everyone. It would have been lonely," Sebastian claimed, a smile on his face.

"Does that include me too?" Jaqueline said, fluttering her eyelashes at the boy-bot.

"Of course. I would miss seeing you and dad fight and be unable to express your love for each other through verbal sparring," the rebuilt android stated, causing the two in question to stare at him slack-jawed.

"Wait, what are you talking about, son?" Hatchet cried.

"Based on observations, as well as figuring out what Emil meant when he called Jaqueline 'tsundere,' I have extrapolated that Miss Jaqueline is madly in love with you, father, but does not wish to be the first to say so. This results in insults and barbed wrapped in thinly veiled sexual frustration. Much like how 9S and 2B's own relationship is. Minus a great deal of swearing."

Utter silence fell on the room, broken only by the gurgling of a baby playing with blueberry flavored mush.

"I-is this true?" Hatchet asked, staring wide-eyed at the female Resistance android.

Something was going wrong with her face. She was blushing. Her system was overheating in her head.

"N-n-no! It's all a lie!" she shouted angrily, glaring daggers at the refurbished S-type.

"Truly? Then all the times you were talking to yourself about how 'that stupid, noble, handsome bastard' was going to get killed being too nice for his own good while father was gone was not about him?" Sebastian asked innocently, his head tilting to the other side.

"I-I-I!" Jaqueline stammered, looking around the room for a way out of the conversation. She found it by using the couch as a springboard and leaping through a nearby window before booking it.

Hatchet stood there, rooted to the spot in confusion. 9S and 2B were unable to do anything other than blush and avoid looking at each other.

Emil meanwhile, rolled over to Sebastian. "That was evil."

"I have no idea what you mean," the S-type said calmly. "I was simply wishing for elaboration on certain facets of their relationship. Nothing more."

"Still, it was quite entertaining," A2 said, before frowning at the broken window. "Excuse me, I have to go chase a certain vandal down and get her to fix her mess."

"Tell her that she also has to change the springs in the couch she used as an acrobatic aid!" Emil called after the elite android as she marched out of the house.

Chompy the goat suddenly bleated, happily licking the blue nutrient paste off of Alexander's face.

That, however was not what surprised the two.

"How did he get out of his highchair?" Emil demanded, turning to POD 153 who'd been observing the whole thing.

"Human-Alexander saw Chompy, and wished to pet her. He then began to perform an act of levitation and floated over to said goat, and proceeded to pet her."

"Do human babies normally float?" Sebastian inquired, curious. Emil shook his head-body.

"No. No, they do not."

Suddenly, a white glow erupted around Alexander, and he floated into the air, held aloft in the grasp of a pulsating energy field.

Alexander giggled as he floated around the room, causing the other androids to snap out of their stupor in their shock.

"Someone grab him before he falls!" Emil shouted, and everyone rushed forward at once to catch him before whatever magic he was using failed.

They ended up in a massive dogpile, with Alexander perch atop the mound of bodies with a smile on his face.

"This is going to be an interesting next few years," Emil muttered to himself.

Alexander just blew a spit bubble at him. 

~/~/~/~/~ 

Deep within the massive metal tomb that was the Bunker, a woman with pale blonde hair and a tattered yet still pristine white officer's outfit faced the handful of monitors left intact within the command center. Behind her, a single android rested on one knee.

"Report," Commander White ordered, not sparing the android a glance.

"After detecting the rogue YoRHa unit A2 in the Graveyard, Flight Patrol Member 44B followed her, and her male android companion, to a machine base. She then dismantled it, and took a Plug-In chip from one of the plundered YoRHa corpses stolen earlier that week," the agent stated, head bowed.

"I see. Did you follow her back to where ever she's holed up?" Commander White inquired.

"No, ma'am. 44B was still assigned to the Graveyard, and didn't wish to disobey orders. Once the pair left the destroyed machine hideout, she stopped trailing them. However, 44B did note that they were headed in the direction of Relic City."

White frowned, annoyed at the lack of data, but understood 44B's reluctance to follow. Traitors had always been dealt with harshly, but many YoRHa had become fanatical in the wake of the Tower's collapse. Disobeying orders, even to assist others or find more data on enemies, was punished within the ranks by their own comrades.

Fear ruled YoRHa, now. Without a purpose, so many had gone rogue. Those who remained were far too zealous for White's liking, but it was all she had to work with, now.

"I see. Anything else to report?" she inquired, finally sparing the agent a glance.

"…there is one thing," the android said slowly.

"Well? What is it?" White demanded, impatient.

"Units 2B and 9S were detected within the forest near Relic City by a Recon squad. Said units proceeded to flee when spotted."

Up above in the terminals, two O-type androids stifled gasps at the mention of the units they'd once been assigned to. One of them couldn't help but reach up to her left ear where an artificial flower, a Lunar Tear, had been tucked.

Down below, White's hands clenched into fists. On the one hand, the two had been loyal androids to YoRHa for many years, and had even been the cause of the Tower's fall.

On the other, 9S was responsible for broadcasting the truth about the Moon base to everyone, while 2B had provided A2 with confidential YoRHa technology and secrets.

"Issue a standing order to all YoRHa and affiliated Resistance forces in the area: From this day forth, until further notice, ex-YoRHa units 2B and 9S are to be classified as Traitors, and eliminated on sight," she intoned coldly. Gasps ran through the Operators up above.

The two androids were well known and liked by many in both YoRHa and the Resistance! To order their deaths like that was unthinkable!

"Furthermore, I want a bounty placed on them, just like all the others on the Most Wanted List," White commanded.

"H-how high do you wish it to be?" an Operator asked nervously.

"The same as A2, since they are so clearly companions in crime," White said through gritted teeth.

Once again, a horrified silence filled the command center. White looked up, unamused.

"Well? Get back to work!" she shouted.

Up above, Operator 6O stifled a sob and hid her face. Next to her, 21O put a comforting hand on 6O's shoulder.

"They'll be fine," she said softly. "If they can handle Goliaths and Ascendant machines, they can handle anything!"

6O nodded, wiping tears from her eyes before getting back to work.

'Please, be safe, 2B,' she thought, praying silently.


	13. Chapter 11: Betrayal and Blades

**.**

 **Chapter 11: Betrayal and Blades**

 **.**

It had been a few weeks since the FPS had been brought online, and the people in Emil's mansion had settled into a routine. Aside from Jaqueline, who had to return to various Resistance bases at intervals, everyone spent most of their time around the house.

Emil cleaned and fixed what he could with magic, Sebastian tended to Chompy, 9S and Hatchet worked on repairing the house and various pieces of tech, 2B surprisingly learned to cook, and A2 was the full time mother of Alexander.

Said baby was getting into a lot more mischief recently, now that his magic was starting to awaken.

That meant chasing after the flying infant and putting out the fires he made whenever he sneezed.

There were also the hilarious moments when Jaqueline crossed paths with Hatchet. The two would stammer stupidly, recalling the accusations Sebastian had made regarding their feelings, and then the pair would flee in opposite directions, unable to communicate without their faces overheating.

Whenever this happened, Sebastian gleefully rubbed his hands together. Soon, his plan to get his father hitched and to obtain a mother would be complete!

All in all, the days within the house and the eccentric family were nice. Pleasant, really.

But at the moment, 2B was growing frustrated with the person invading her kitchen.

"Is there perhaps something on my face?" 2B asked, annoyed. Seated at a table nearby, Jaqueline shook her head.

"Nah, just wanted to get a good look at you."

"Why?" the combat android demanded.

"Just 'cause," the crazy Resistance gynoid replied. She pursed her lips. "You know, you and 9S just don't look like you're part of YoRHa's top three Most Wanted."

2B froze, and slowly turned to Jaqueline. "What?" she hissed.

"Yeah, just found out a little bit ago when I stopped by the Resistance base in the city to report to Anemone on the refinery," the scientist explained. She then frowned. "Seems like you two really pissed off Whitey. You both are now tied for first place with A2 as YoRHa's most wanted. Complete with matching bounty!"

"I can understand why 9S might get slapped with a blacklisting, he did reveal the truth to everyone, but why me? I did nothing against YoRHa!" the white-haired gynoid cried, hurt and betrayed.

"Well, let's see," Jaqueline mused, pulling out two slips of paper. 2B recognized them as Wanted Posters. And they had her and 9S's faces and ident codes on them.

"Ah! It says you are guilty of aiding a wanted fugitive by providing restricted tech and classified YoRHa data," the drug lord mused.

"All I did was give POD 42 to A2!" 2B protested, causing Jaqueline to shake her head sadly.

"And she's number one on the hitlist for a lot of reasons. Some trumped up, others completely reasonable. And I'm not just saying that because I'm still bitter about the name change!"

Jaqueline then shrugged. "Though, let's be honest, here: White was probably looking for any excuse to punish you and your boytoy for running away and questioning orders. Not to mention, you two were smack dab in the middle of all the events that led to the reveal of the truth. They just slapped the easiest crimes she could onto you as payback for that, no doubt."

A look of horror crossed 2B's face, and she felt the servos in her knees fail, and her legs become weak.

"You're a liability to them, 2B. Or should I say, 2E?" Jaqueline said, leaning forward slightly. "You're a dirty little secret, and I know White. She hates dirty things."

She stood up from the table and walked off. "See, ya, 2B. And for what's it's worth, I am sorry."

2B stared at where the Resistance android had been for a long time. After a moment, she felt something wet on her cheeks.

Hands shaking, she reached up and touched the tears that streamed down her face.

Unable to hold it in any longer, 2B collapsed to her knees, bawling her heart out. It hurt so much. The betrayal… being cast aside…

She continued to cry even when 9S rushed in to her side, demanding to know what was wrong.

.

"What should we do?" Hatchet asked, looking over the group. A solemn silence had fell upon the house and its members. Even Alexander had sense the mood and had not laughed once the entire day.

A meeting had had to be called to address this issue, and the entire household had shown up. Even Jaqueline, normally aloof from matters in the mansion, had attended.

"Going anywhere to get supplies is going to be much, much harder," 9S noted, arms still wrapped comfortingly around 2B. "We can still make it to Pascal's village for trade undetected, as we won't have to cross any major android travel lanes, Resistance or otherwise. But everything else will have to be obtained by Hatchet, Sebastian, Emil, and Jaqueline."

"I could just go to the Bunker and destroy it," A2 suggested, materializing a Faith model katana in one hand. "No more problem then!"

"NO!" 2B shouted, standing up.

"No," she said, softer, but no less firm. "We can't do that."

"They just black-listed you two. It matters not to me, I'm used to it, but I can tell you're both broken up over this matter. So, why not let me get some revenge?"

"Because YoRHa still serves a purpose, and destroying it will lead the world to destruction," 2B said, wiping tears from her eyes. "How many Feral and Rogue Machines are still out there? How many factories the world over still pop out our ancient enemy? Too many to count. And with the Bunker now resting in the ocean, the production line for us androids, Resistance and YoRHa alike, is severely limited. All the major production centers for us were on the moon. Supplies can still be sent and received, but without the Bunker to act as a half-way point, most of the items we used to be able to get will be unable to be sent to Earth."

"Damn it, of course!" 9S cried, slapping his forehead. "The Moon Base can still send big, uncomplicated things like replacement parts, tools, and weapons, because it can shoot the containers and have the contents survive atmospheric entry with little damage, but delicate things like Chips, Nano-Meds, and Black Boxes will be nigh impossible!"

"Not sure how this relates to me not wiping out the Bunker," A2 commented. Still, she dismissed her blade all the same. The Faith model katana had been a gift from 2B and 9S after they'd learned she missed her old custom sword. They still had theirs, so they offered her up one of the blades in their collection. A sweet gesture that had earned the two androids a servo crushing hug.

"It matters, because YoRHa is still operating. It still sends YoRHa androids to clear out machines and to acquire data and materials for the planet side factories. It continues to do what it can to rebuild the world, despite the loss of all humanity, save Alexander," 2B claimed.

"And if the Bunker, YoRHa's nerve center, is taken down, who will tell the androids what to do? Most will just bugger off, and not bother to defend settlements and facilities when they come under attack from the Machines," 9S continued. "Unless they take them over and rule over these vital points, in which case we devolve into a feudal society ruled by combat type androids lording over non-combat androids while they squat on the crumbling remains of our technology."

"Exactly. As much as it hurt to be tossed aside, YoRHa is last bastion for civilization. Even the Resistance camps will fall under the sway of barbarism if no one is there to protect them," 2B stated.

A long silence filled the air.

"Yeah, sounds about right," Emil said, adding his opinion. "Throughout history, the strong always take control when a society collapses. It's only when a new society rises and has time to establish itself does the concept of law and order based on morality, rather than might makes right, come into play. I've seen it happen, myself."

"I agree with 2B and 9S's assessment," Hatchet commented. "YoRHa might be bullies, but they perform the vital service of keeping us all unified. Best not to tempt fate right now. All in favor of staying as far from YoRHa as possible to avoid having A2 go on a murderous rampage?"

"Aye!" a chorus of voices called out.

"Eye!" Alexander cried out. "Eye!"

"The 'ayes' have it. Now, I think it's time for dinner. Does that sound good, Alex?" Hatchet asked the cute little infant.

"Swor! Wan swor!" Alexander declared, waving his pudgy arms at A2.

"No, swords are not for babies," his surrogate mother declared. Alexander's face scrunched up, and he looked like he was about to cry.

"SWOR!" he hollered. There was a bright flash and a hiss of dematerialization, and suddenly A2's Faith sword appeared in the air a few centimeters above Alexander. It landed in his lap, thankfully without cutting him, and everyone stared at the blade and the baby.

"Swor!" Alexander cried in victory! He'd done it! He'd beaten mama! Now he had swor of his own!

"What the heck? Why does he have one of our swords?" 9S asked, incredulously. He then turned to POD 153. "POD 153! Did you give Alexander that weapon?"

"Negative," the POD replied. Somehow, her monotone was laced with genuine surprise. "This Unit did not relinquish User 9S's sword from Compression Storage into the vicinity of Last Human Alexander. Please Wait: Checking Inventory Data…"

There was a moment of silence as the androids carefully kept their eyes on the baby. A2 gingerly took the sword from Alexander's grasp, but kept it close by in case he used his burgeoning magic to summon it again.

"Alert: This Unit has checked Inventory Data. It appears that 23.116 seconds ago, an Error was registered when an unknown magical matrix/spell went off and interfered with the Compression Storage System. Possible Cause: the innate magic of Alexander is stronger than the defensive magical matrixes this Unit possesses," POD 153 droned out. "Recommendation: Upgrade my magical defenses to prevent further theft, or teach Last Human Alexander that stealing is bad."

No one said anything. How could they? They'd just witness a one-year-old baby 'hack' into a POD and steal a weapon from it using magic!

"Emil, any suggestions?" A2 inquired.

"Um, I know some anti-theft spells," the skull-bot-boy said weakly. "Should protect 153 from being the target of magic theft."

"Is there anyway you can start training him to control his powers?" 2B asked. Her sorrow over being thrown out of YoRHa was momentarily overshadowed by this revelation.

"He's too young. I can try and limit the damages he might cause by magic-proofing the house, but until he can walk and talk on his own, there's no chance I can teach Alexander," Emil claimed.

"In that case, we must be extra vigilant," A2 declared. "Stay on your toes for both YoRHa interference and magical shenanigans."

She grabbed the Faith sword and returned it back to POD 153's inventory. Alexander whined a bit but was quickly comforted by Sebastian, who gave him a random stick from outside to play with.

Alexander accepted this trade. Stick look like swor, so it must be swor! And hadn't he seen Uba 2B beating up one of those clanky toys with a bigger wooden stick like it'd been a swor one time?

The baby nodded happily. Yes, this was definitely a good trade.


	14. Chapter 12: Twin Metal Alliance

**.**

 **Chapter 12: The Twin-Metal Alliance**

 **.**

The mansion Emil had taken over following the rise of the tower and the destruction of his old hideaway was located on the outskirts of Relic City, the so-called 'suburbs' where the apartments and skyscrapers gave way to townhouses and manors.

Most of the Suburbs were completely reclaimed by nature, but here and there small pockets of concrete and steel existed, small islands of ruins that were either infested by animals, feral machines, or both, depending on who won that week's turf war.

The mansion Emil, and soon the rest of the group, lived in was large, in fairly decent condition, and most importantly, isolated. Unless you knew where it was, it would take extreme amounts of luck to locate it. And, thanks to a trio of massively overgrown oaks, aerial observations showed nothing but a couple tumbled down walls between the branches. Nothing to interest the Machine Lifeforms, YoRHa or the Resistance.

Hence why it was to a great amount of shock that the family found a Machine from Pascal's village at their doorstep, wearing a black beret and nervously rubbing its hands together.

"Um, hello? Can I help you?" Emil asked, looking down at the Machine. It quickly threw itself at the skullboy vendor's feet. Or rather, at his wheels, since he was still trapped in his scooter.

"Please Great Robot Ghost, have mercy on me!"

Emil wheeled back nervously. "Uh, guys? A little help, please?"

"Great Robot Ghost? Who's that?" 9S inquired as he approached from the kitchen. When the Machine spotted the shota android, it quickly crawled over to him.

"Quick, kind android, save me from the Great Robot Ghost before he eats my memories!"

"Ok, what's going on here?" 2B demanded, appearing from the kitchen as well. Back in the other room, A2 decided to keep Alexander out of sight for the moment. She was unsure what the sight of the last human would do to a Machine who'd divorced itself from the Network, but she did not want to risk it.

It took a few minutes to calm the Machine down, but they managed to do so after repeatedly assuring it Emil would not eat him.

"Why would you even think that in the first place?" 9S asked, awkwardly patting the Machine on the back comfortingly.

"The Great Robot Ghost eats the minds of us Machines and implants itself into our bodies! He is the great comeuppance of doom for all our mechanical sins!" the Machine wailed.

2B and 9S gave Emil a questioning look, who coughed and looked away.

"I may have become a boogeyman to the Machines a while back. See, I needed to repair and replace my bodies as my old ones broke down, but eventually I couldn't make any more of my old ones. After a while, all that I could replicate without much trouble was my head," Emil said, tapping the side of his metal skull with a jury-rigged arm Hatchet had made for him. It made a strangely hollow 'clunk!'

"So, you see, whenever I needed a new body, I would hijack a Machine or two. Do you remember how you two met me?"

"Yeah, you were inside the head of a Machine we defeated in the old shopping mall," 9S said, recalling the incident.

Emil nodded sadly. "Exactly. That's how I would do it. I would place myself in a factory and wait for a Machine to replace their head, where I would take over the body once I was attached. That's why I became known as a sort of ghost amongst the Machines in the area. I was basically taking over the bodies of their comrades."

"However, something went wrong when I tried it a few months back, and I was placed inside of a machine's head, instead of replacing it. It was hard, fighting against the Network. You two freed me before I could be completely consumed by the strange, alien Hivemind the Machines were all connected to," the skullboy explained.

"Alright, the makes sense. In a macabre sort of way. But why did you come here, exactly? From the way you reacted when you saw Emil, I take it you didn't come here for him," 9S noted, and the Machine nodded.

"Yes! I came here originally to find Lady A2."

"Well, you came to the right address, somehow, but she's not here at the moment," 9S said carefully, catching the gynoid in question making a cutting gesture across her throat when he glanced back at the kitchen.

"Oh. That is a shame," the Machine said sadly. It turned to leave.

"Whatever you needed her for, we can do just as good," 2B spoke up, surprising everyone.

"You would help us, Lady 2B?" the Machine asked in awe.

"Of course."

"Hurray! Now Pascal can sign the treaty!" The Machine began to move erratically. After a moment the audience realized it was trying to dance with joy.

"Wait, treaty? What's going on?" 9S demanded.

"Apologies, Sir 9S!" the Machine said, stopping mid-twirl. "You see, Pascal and Lady Anemone of the local Resistance branch are going to get together soon to write up a treaty of non-aggression and trade! She respects our territory, we respect theirs, and we trade for parts and other resources. However, we need a 3rd party to act as a Witness, according to some old laws we've uncovered based on such matters of treaties to make the deal legal and binding."

"We had hoped Lady A2 could take that role, as she is independent of both groups, but has helped them equally in the past," the Machine explained.

"And you can't go to YoRHa since they still don't like Machine Lifeforms at all, and are technically allied with the Resistance so it wouldn't be impartial," 2B mused. "Very well. We shall accompany you as Witnesses to this treaty."

"Wait, hold up!" Emil said, speaking up before anyone could celebrate further. "Aren't you and 9S both technically criminals in the eyes of YoRHa?"

"Yeah, but so what?" 9S asked, putting an arm around 2B as she winced at that painful reminder.

"'So what?!' It means that if YoRHa catches wind of this treaty, they will see it badly! Maybe even as an attempt on your part to create your own faction to oppose theirs!" Emil shouted at the Scanner-model android. "At best, they'll try to null and void the treaty. At worst, YoRHa will attack and wipe out both the Machines and Resistance camp for making deals with the enemy!"

When 9S and 2B looked leery and unconvinced, Emil shook his head sadly. "You know they'll overreact, you two. I mean, they slapped a huge bounty on your heads after years of service and saving the world! Any hint that you both are trying to gather power and influence, no matter what the truth actually is, will bring their troops down like the wrath of angry gods."

"…Damn it, you're right!" 9S shouted, angrily kicking the ground. "They would do that! Argh!"

2B clenched her fists hard in impotent rage, but knew Emil was correct.

"Then does that mean there will be no Witnesses?" the Machine messenger asked worriedly after a moment of furious silence.

"Actually, there will be." Everyone turned to Emil. "2B and 9S can't act as Witnesses, but they can still act as bodyguards to him. That is to say, me. I will be the treaty's Witness."

"You?" 9S asked incredulously. Emil nodded.

"I have no real stake in this deal. I am a truly neutral party. I sell my wares to anyone who wishes to purchase them, and I have had deals with the Resistance and Machines, albeit in a limited manner recently. Who better to act as a 3rd Party?"

Everyone exchanged looks. The Machine from Pascal's village was wary, but nodded in acceptance after a few moments of thought.

"The idea that the Great Robot Ghost will back the treaty could go a long way to ensuring peace, as well. Many newcomers to the Village are angry, and might lash out at the androids despite the treaty. But with the Great Robot Ghost on Pascal and Lady Anemone's side, those who have anger will be too afraid of angering the Great Robot Ghost to act on that anger. And, it might keep the Kingdom, the Cult, and the Masked Ones at bay as well if they know of it."

"Wonderful! When do we leave?" Emil asked eagerly.

"Could we do so now? It would take a day for me to return, and we wish to have this treaty signed soon," the Machine asked.

"Sure, that works. 9S, 2B, do you want to come with me as bodyguards? I can pay handsomely!" Emil inquired with a teasing tone.

2B nodded eagerly. She hadn't left the house in a while, not since word of YoRHa's betrayal had reached her. She needed to get some fresh air, and it was a sentiment 9S echoed as well. Taking care of Alexander was fun and rewarding, but they needed their space at times.

"Let us depart!" the Machine said, before turning around and hopping into the Suburban Jungle.

Emil followed behind, as did 2B. 9S lingered for a bit to speak with A2.

"Will you be alright here alone?" he asked, tickling Alexander as he talked.

"I will be fine. Jaqueline, Hatchet, and Sebastian might be gone, but I have 153 with me," A2 assured him.

The drug lord had left a few days back for 'important Resistance crap,' which was likely the treaty now that they knew of it. As for the mechanic and his son, they had returned to their old home in the desert to retrieve some of their personal belongings and additional equipment they'd left behind.

9S gave A2 a worried look, but she waved it off. "Don't worry, Nines. We can take care of ourselves. Better go catch up with the others or they'll leave you behind."

He nodded, smiled at Alexander, and left. Once he was gone, A2 left the kitchen, her precious child in her arms.

"Now that we're alone, let's go over our ABC's! 'A' is for A2, your loving mama. 'B' is for 2B, your favorite aunt. 'C' is for crush, which is what I did to my enemies, and what I'll do to yours…"

.

The trip to the site of the treaty signing was not to far from either locale. In fact, it was taking place in the Amusement Park, the settlement directly between the two factions. The Machine Lifeforms of the Park were all pacifists, like those in Pascal's Village, and without the Doll ruling over them, the Park's inhabitants were free and happy to live a life of weird playfulness.

It made the perfect spot for a neutral meeting ground. Both parties were meeting in the Heart Castle itself, refurbished now that its old tyrannical ruler was gone into a place of culture, both Machine and human alike.

"Do you think they'll show up?" Anemone wondered aloud as she sat in a chair across from Pascal. The Machine shrugged.

"I do not know. They are good people, and I hope they will be of assistance one more time for both of us."

"I still think they'd be crazy to come here," Jaqueline said with a scoff. "Not with bounties that size on their head. Plus, they couldn't act as legal Witnesses. Not in YoRHa's eyes."

"Who else is there, then?" Anemone demanded sharply, turning to look at her Chief Science Officer. "The Park Machines have no real leader, and none of the other factions out there would have anything to do with us."

The eye-patch wearing android shrugged helplessly, mimicking Pascal's motion from earlier.

The signing was taking place on the stage in the main auditorium. The seats were packed with Free Machines and Resistance androids. The former were chatting inanely about this and that, mostly discussing the silliness in the idea of a piece of paper, or plastic in this case, with words on it could tell people what to do.

The androids, for their part, were standing around keeping a wary eye on the Machines and their weapons in easy reach. No one expected there to be violence, but one could never be sure in these dark times.

On the stage were Pascal, the Item Merchant, and one of the few remaining guards. Across from the Machine delegation were four androids. Anemone, Jaqueline, and two red-headed twins.

Suddenly, a radio near the signing table crackled to life and Anemone reached for it.

"Yes?"

"Hey, boss, we can see the messenger-bot returning, and he has 2B and 9S with him."

Jaqueline slapped a palm to her face. 'For fuck's sake, couldn't they have had a little bit of common sense? This is why I didn't tell them where I'd be!'

"Excellent. Please escort the two of them here as soon as they arrive at the Park," Anemone said, smirking smugly at Jaqueline.

"Uh, actually, here's the thing. There's three of them."

"Three androids?" Pascal asked, surprised, and Jaqueline began to twitch nervously.

'Please not A2. Please not A2. Please not A2!'

"Um, no, it's not an android. Actually, it sort of looks like a skull riding a moped?"

Everyone stared at the radio for a few moments.

"You're joking, right?" Anemone demanded.

"No, there's definitely what looks like a skull crossed with a machine riding a scooter towards in sandwiched between 2B and 9S. It seems like their escorting it."

Silence fell, which was soon broken by a Machine crying out, "The Great Robot Ghost comes for us all!" sparking panic instantly amongst the overtly metallic members of the peace talks.

"Everyone, please, keep calm!" Pascal pleaded as the androids looked around nervously, hands on their guns and blades.

"Yeah, shut yer tits!" Jaqueline added. "If 2B and 9S are bringing Emil in, it means they're smarter than I gave them credit for!"

"You seem well informed about what this thing is," Anemone mused, giving the one-eyed gynoid a searching look. The two red-heads exchanged curious glances of their own, tinged with nostalgia and faint hope.

Jaqueline shrugged. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. It's my business either way."

"Perhaps, but it won't be that way for much longer," Anemone warned. "We're going to have a talk about this later, mark my words. Your sojourns away from the bases have not gone unnoticed, you know. By myself or the Bunker."

The eye-patched android winced at that. "I… will see what I can do."

Further conversation was put on hold by the arrival of the Messenger Machine, 2B, 9S, and Emil, whose presence caused the other Machines to freeze in terror at the sight of him. More than a few Resistance androids gasped as well, though twin red-heads had their own reason for gasping as if they'd seen a ghost.

"Hey, everyone!" Emil called out happily. "I'm here to act as a Witness!"

His words caused everything to go silent and still.

"Um, that's nice and all, but who are you?" 'And why did the Machines start acting all crazy around him?' Anemone wondered, though she kept that last part to herself.

"I suppose introductions are in order," Emil said with a stiff shrug. "My name's Emil. I am an old, old weapon created by the humans to fight off the aliens and their mechanical soldiers. I am the last of my kind."

Somehow, the skull managed to frown at far off, almost forgotten memories, before creating the impression of a smile. "However, that is all behind me. Now, I am just a wandering scrap merchant who deals with anyone willing to play fair and pay well."

"And the two androids at your side?" Jaqueline demanded, giving the stink-eye to 2B and 9S. "They look awfully suspicious."

"Ah, that's right! Thank you for reminding me!" Emil declared. Before 2B or 9S could wonder what Jaqueline was playing at, a bag of scrap metal and parts materialized in front of 2B, and honed reflexes let her catch the bundle.

"Here you go, you two. Payment for safely escorting me to this meeting," the skull-boy said jauntily.

"What is…?" 2B began, but was immediately cut off by Emil.

"Don't worry, the rest of your pay will be received at the end, once the treaty is signed and you've escorted me back to my domicile," he stated.

"2B, play along," 9S hissed at his gynoid companion. "He's giving us an alibi! This way, if and when YoRHa finds out about us attending this meeting, everyone can claim we don't know each other, and that he paid us for a protection job. No dirt falls onto this treaty, and thus gives YoRHa no reason to do anything to us or them!"

"So be it," 2B said aloud, partly to agree with 9S, mostly to give a bit of a show. "I'll expect the rest of the amount after we get you home. And don't try and cheat us."

"I would never!" Emil protested, gasping in mock shock. Their bit played, 2B and 9S retreated to a corner of the room and sat down, leaning up against a wall as they waited.

Emil then wheeled over to the stage and hopped up. Somehow. They weren't sure if it was magic, or he'd install a Boost Jet into the bottom of his scooter so he could reach higher elevations.

"I understand that I am to be a Witness for this treaty signing. May I please see it first so I know what I am helping facilitate?" Emil inquired.

Pascal, having finally managed to calm her people down, nodded and handed the slip of thin plastic over. Given that paper was scarce and the facilities to creating it could be used to produce other, more necessary items, YoRHa printed sheets of special plastic that could be used as paper. Ink would stick to it, allowing for traditional writing to live on. And since it was hardier than paper, many old human texts had been reproduced onto this plas-paper.

Emil read over the lines of text, bobbing his head and humming in thought.

"Hmm. Yes, this all seems to be level and fair. I do have one question; what is the name for this treaty?"

"Pardon?" Anemone asked.

"In the past, all important documents and files were given names by the humans, especially treaties," Emil explained.

"What on Earth would the point of that be?" Pascal inquired, curious as always about human practices.

"It gives it a sense of connection between the signees. A bond, of sorts. Humans named pets, you know, and loved them and cared for them because of it. Humans give names to things they saw as important. Cities, landmarks, mementos, other humans. All earned names one way or another. A treaty might be held in higher regard if it can be quickly identified as well with a catchy moniker," Emil explained, dredging up old memories and facts. "It would certainly be memorable."

"Makes sense, I suppose," Anemone mused, nodding her head. She could see the morale benefits to putting a name on such on momentous occasion. Her camp had been badly damaged by the Feral Machines, the Tower Rising, and so much more. Her men and women, those who'd survived at least, needed an icon to rally behind as much as YoRHa did.

"Very well, I can see the appeal. Pascal, do you have any suggestions for a name to give to this treaty and the alliance it will forge?" Anemone asked, glancing over at her mechanical counterpart.

"Hmm. A name. A tricky question," Pascal mused. For a long time, she was silent, then, she clapped her hands. "How about the Treaty of the Twin Metal Alliance?"

Everyone in the audience paused and thought it over. Resistance androids nodded in agreement. It was snappy, and gave the whole situation an air of dignity and refinement they found they rather liked.

The Free Machines, on the other hand, were also glad, but for a different reason. Many still longer for the Network, and the grand unity it provided. But they also wanted independence. Hence why they formed little cliques and settlements out in the wild. Imitating the old human ways of families, nations, and communities gave the best of both worlds, in their opinion. And this treaty went a step further and gave a name to this great joining.

Seeing no objections, Anemone nodded and jotted down the treaty and alliance names onto the document with a pen.

"Alright, done. Now, shall we sign?"

"Agreed," Pascal said in affirmation. She pulled out a pen of her own, and together, the two leaders signed the treaty. Emil nodded, and then put down his own signature as the Witness.

"As the Witness, I declare there was no falsehoods or foul play! Congratulations!" Emil said, clapping politely. Soon, androids and Machines went wild with cheers and applause as well. It wasn't much, but it was a big step towards establishing non-hostilities between androids and Machines. Peace was a long way off, but it was now proven to be an option, and in this manner both sides could rebuild a bit easier.

"That was faster than I expected," 2B admitted to 9S.

"They'd probably spent weeks working together in secret to draft the treaty beforehand," 9S pointed out. "This was just a formal event to make everything public and legal."

"Odd thought, to have our ancient enemies joins hands with us like this," the elite gynoid commented, a tinge of nostalgia in her words.

"It's something, alright," 9S agreed. As the party continued, Emil wheeled over to his companions.

"Come on, guys, let's head back home," Emil suggested.

"Good idea. Sneak out while they are distracted," 2B said with an approving nod.

That hadn't been his intention at all, but Emil could only sigh and go along with it. They left as the celebrating continued, unaware of the twin pairs of eyes that watched them leave. Or more specifically, observed a certain magical skull-bot.


	15. Chapter 13: Red Ivory, Broken Memories

**.**

 **Chapter 13: Red Ivory and Broken Memories**

 **.**

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Devolva?"

"Of course it's not a good idea! But you saw him! We both did! It has to be him. It has to be!"

A pair of red-headed gynoids tromped through the thick Suburban jungle towards an uncertain destination. One, whose hair was long and straight, fidgeted nervously as they walked between the massive trees. The other, with curly hair, stomped forward confidently.

Both carried Type-3 Swords, the chainsaw blades making short work of any obstructions, be they Machine or plant.

"It's been thousands of years, Devolva. If it really was him, don't you think he'd have come to us?"

"…I don't know, Popola. Regardless of what he felt about us after the incident at the Shadowlord's Castle, he still fought alongside us when the aliens arrived. If not for his aide, we'd never have been able to…" the red-head trailed off, and her sister stood silently at her side, observing the same thing.

A house. A mansion, more specifically. Unnervingly close in appearance to the one he'd once lived in on the outskirts of town, long ago.

Devolva, for all her brashness, gulped softly as she stared at the building. Next to her, Popola patted her shoulder.

"Too late to turn back now, right?" she said with a teasing smile. Devolva snorted but nodded in agreement, before striding confidently up to the door. Next to it was a bell, and she pressed it. And again. And again.

A loud cry suddenly rang out from within the mansion, and it was nothing like a doorbell at all. In fact, it was a sound they never thought they'd hear again. A sound made by an organic being that should have gone extinct long ago.

Before either twin could comment on this impossible sound, the door was thrown open by a white-haired android, her appearance frazzled. Behind her, the sound of wailing could be heard even louder.

"I had just managed to put him down for a nap when you made that horrible sound. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slice you both into tiny pieces for disturbing him," the irate gynoid demanded.

"U-um, well, you see, we're here for Emil," Devolva stammered out, caught off guard. Popola on the other hand narrowed her eyes at the android before her. She looked awfully familiar…

Recognition sparked in the gynoid's eyes, and she grunted. "Oh, yeah, now I remember you two. Those red-headed Resistance androids from Anemone's base, right?"

They nodded, and the android jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "Follow me. He's fixing the water heater right now, but he should be done shortly."

Had A2 not been so frazzle by caring for a fussy baby, then she might have been more suspicious of two random androids showing up out of the blue. As it was, all A2 knew was Alexander was now crying, these two were the cause, and only the fact that they knew Emil had saved them from a nasty fate.

She led the pair into a living room with surprisingly intact leather sofas. Popola sat down gingerly while her sister plopped down without hesitation and threw her feet up onto a nearby coffee table.

The android who had greeted them at the door wandered off, muttering under her breath. A few minutes after she left the crying ended, filling the house with semi-blessed silenced.

"Popola, was that actually…"

"I don't know, Devolva. It could have been an animal. If I recall, several animals had cries that sounded remarkably human-like," the prim and proper android stated. But even her words seemed unsure.

A few more minutes passed by in awkward silence before they heard the trundle of wheels on wood, and the scooter driving skeleton-bot appeared in the living room to greet the guests.

"Hey there! A2 said there were people from the Resistance here for me. I assume this is about the treaty I signed a few days ago?" Emil asked politely.

Upon seeing him, both sisters jumped to their feet, staring in awe at his face. The young-sounding android shifted uncomfortably under their gazes.

"U-um, can you not stare at me? I know I look weird and all, but it's not very polite," Emil said, only to be cut off when the twins lunged at him, throwing their arms around his body and hugging him tightly.

"It's you! It's really, really you!" Devolva cried, tears of joy leaking unbidden from her eyes.

"We're not alone. We're not alone," Popola muttered, almost to herself as her hug tightened.

"Ack! Wh-what's going on?! Why are you hugging me?!" Emil cried, backing up in an attempt to escape. It didn't work. The two refused to let go. All his movement did was cause his scooter to trip over a wooden block Alexander had left lying around earlier and he fell back, tumbling from his vehicle.

Devolva and Popola continued to cling to him, though. In fact, they remained attached to him for several hours until the rest of the household returned from their various chores and came into the living room to see Emil pinned beneath two beautiful red-headed gynoids.

"Damn, Emil! You're a player!" 9S said, giving the skull-boy a thumbs up. He had no idea what those words meant, though. They just seemed to fit.

Sebastian tilted his head. "Is Emil even capable of 'making out' as it's known? He lacks lips and a tongue, which based on all accounts are necessary components for such."

The rest were not as impressed.

"Emil, can you please explain why two strangers are in the house? And where's A2?" 2B demanded.

"You know, they look familiar. Did I work with them in the past?" Hatchet wondered. He was slapped upside the head by Jaqueline.

"They're the Trash Twins from camp. Remember, the two who would bring in old tech from various places and fix it? Though it's rare to see them outside the camp," the renamed gynoid reminded. She then turned to the pair who were still clutching Emil. "You rarely leave unless you're going dumpster diving. Why are you two here?"

"We're here for Emil," Devolva declared, shooting a glare at Jaqueline for the nickname.

"Why, though?" 2B demanded.

"We missed him. Is it wrong to want to see a friend after so long?" she demanded haughtily.

"And I've been trying to tell you two, I don't know who you are!" Emil protested. Popola turned sad, puppy dog eyes onto the skull-bot.

"Y-you mean you weren't kidding?"

"No! Why would I joke about not having my memories?" Emil shouted.

"What happened to you, Emil?" Popola whispered, seemingly ignoring his words as she stroked the side of his skull-like head. "Where did you go? Why didn't you come back to us afterwards…"

Emil sighed. "Look, miss, I'm not really Emil. I'm just one of millions of copies he made."

The two stared and him, and their moment of shock allowed the strange entity to break out of their grasps and sit up.

"I don't remember much. I recall… things, occasionally. Sadness. Longing. An explosion. I remember wandering, alone. I recall strange lights fall from the sky, disgorging endless tides of metal."

A haunted aura settled on Emil's head. "I watched them attack the… the people. I think they were people? I saw it, though. And I grew angry. So I made more. I fought. I fought. I fought. I made more of me, so I could contain the growing numbers of Machines. And… I remember people taking up arms to stand beside me as more and more of me were cut down. I fought. And… I died again."

Silence hung in the air.

"Ugg! Ugg sad!" Everyone looked up as A2 walked in, Alexander held close in her arms. The toddler's arms were reaching out towards Emil. He had sensed the sadness and wanted to give his Ugg Unca a hug.

The twin's eyes widened as they stared at the child, Emil's problems momentarily forgotten as they beheld what should have been impossible.

"No, it can't be," Devolva muttered, rising to her feet in a daze. She took a tentative step forward, only to freeze as weapons materialized in flashes of light and were pointed at her and her sister.

"Devolva, step back," Popola hissed. Slowly, the curly haired android returned to her original spot.

A2 stared at them hard. "Who are you? You're not ordinary androids, are you?"

"What makes you say that?" Devolva asked snidely.

"Well, for one, you were far stronger than any Resistance model I've ever seen in action," 9S noted, speaking up as she examined the two. "You're not YoRHa, though. And there's the fact you seem fine after helping me take on the Tower. No, more than fine."

The twins exchanged looks. "Answers for answers?" Popola suggested after a moment of silent conversation.

"Fine," A2 said, holding Alexander close. The baby was now staring at the two new pretty ladies in front of him. Were they new friends?

"I'll go first, then. What happened to you two when the Tower fell?" 9S inquired.

"We escaped. Repairs were necessary. On the way out, we also set up several defensive firewalls. The Red Girls will never be a threat again," Popola said.

More silence.

"Is, is that a human?" Popola asked hesitantly. Scared. Afraid. Longing. Hopefully. Guilty.

"Yes," A2 said softly. "The last human."

'How?' Popola wanted to know. She swallowed her question, though, and waited for her next query.

"What were the Replicants?" 9S asked, his voice quiet.

"Repla-whats?" Hatchet asked, confused.

"Replicants. The first android models. Or, at least, that's what the records claim," Jaqueline stated. "They were discontinued after the aliens invaded, however, replaced with the Resistance models, and then later the YoRHa ones."

"That's only partially correct," Popola said. "While they were androids, Replicants were actually artificial bodies created to house the consciousness of the humans who were part of Project Gestalt."

She cleared her throat. "How did a human survive?"

This time Emil spoke. "A Cryogenic facility, heavily laden with magic. It infused the machinery and the baby. He's human, but capable of wielding magic without ill side effects."

"What the hell was Project Gestalt?" 2B demanded, eyes narrowed at the twins. "I've seen snippets of data about it. Fragmentary records about an experiment to save humanity. What was it?"

"Project Gestalt was the last-ditch effort to preserve mankind from White Chlorination Syndrome," Popola said softly. "It digitalized the minds and souls of the few remaining humans, and stored them in an effort to wait out the end of the world. My sister and I were created as administrators for this project. We were supposed to ensure that when it came time for the humans to repopulate the planet, they could. The Replicants were part of this. The minds of humans were put into android bodies so they could maintain a certain level of society. But it failed."

Popola looked down, unable to continue, and Devolva spoke up. "The project failed because it did not take into account one thing; Mind and Soul are intertwined. You cannot separate the two! When the minds were given to the Replicants, but not the souls, a disconnect was created. Slowly, but surely, the Replicants began to diverge from their original source. It wasn't immediate. Tiny actions. Little thoughts. Different choices made to survive in a harsher world. And then the Black Scrawl appeared."

Devolva spat angrily. "It was inevitable, really. The Replicants began to grow souls of their own. Strange, pale imitations based on copied data and memories, but souls nonetheless. Souls that were, now, separate and different from the original human souls Project Gestalt had saved. They weren't human. Not really. They were copies of copies, altered and new. The Black Scrawl was an unexpected and unplanned side effect of the Project that tried and forced the newly born souls out of the Replicants and install the originals. The old and the new were fighting each other, unable to allow either to win because they had become jumbled and confused. The minds had become integrated with the new souls they had created, and the Replicants unknowingly resisted becoming part of their existences."

"Yonah!" Emil suddenly cried, before clutching his head. The twins looked over in worry.

"I-it's fine. I-I remember, now," Emil muttered. "Yonah… she was his daughter… afflicted by the Black Scrawl. He tried to save her… and in doing so, destroyed the project…"

"Yes, that's correct," Devolva said sadly. "Everything ended. Humanity was destroyed not by itself, but by a fake copy. There was a man. His name was Nier, though many lost their memory of him as a result of his actions. He loved his daughter more than anything. They were both Replicants in the area Popola and I administered. This very area, in fact, is where they lived. Yonah, sickened by the Black Scrawl, was going to perish. And Nier… in order to save her, he had to stop what was causing the illness."

"The Gestalt Project," 9S murmured as things began to click into place. The others might not understand exactly, but he did. "Since it was the cause of the Black Scrawl, by destroying it, he saved his daughter. But at the cost of eradicating all of the stored souls of humanity!"

The other androids all gasped in shock.

"To him, he and his daughter were humans," Popola said sadly. "They were alive. The humans stored by the project? Mere ghosts who refused to die. And, in a way, he was right. There was no chance the souls saved by the project could be reborn into new bodies. The Black Scrawl had inadvertently denied the souls access to their memories, and without memories, they, well, lacked form, function and purpose. And the souls had mutated. Becoming things known as Shades that tried to hunt down and kill the Replicants and steal their bodies in desperation."

"Memories could produce new souls. They were data, code and facts that told a human how to live. What they were. But souls were merely energy. Without the latter to give them a proper shape, it was useless to try and give them a body. We did not understand that. The Gestalt Project did not understand that. The scientists thought the soul was the most important part of the human, but they were wrong," Devola explained.

"Why couldn't they just put the humans' minds and souls into the body, not just the memories?" Hatchet asked, confused.

"For the same reason we downloaded their minds and souls in the first place; White Chlorination Syndrome," Popola said grimly. "The strange energy known known as mana was a foreign entity. Humans had never encountered it before. It created an affliction that turned humans into pillars of salt. Coming into contact with this anomalous energy was fatal, and the energy spread through no previously known methods. It went beyond merely airborne. It spread through other forms of energy. Solar, electrical, nuclear… all forms of energy became carriers for it. It was impossible to hide, at first."

"What humanity did not understand about WCS until much later was that it attacked the souls of humans. Salt Petrification was merely a side effect of the corruption. So, when they finally managed to get Project Gestalt rolling, they knew that the soul was a real thing. Which is why they placed so much importance on it. The soul featured heavily in all aspects of every human religion. It was why they thought they needed that more than the memories, and why also they could not transfer the soul to a machine body because the WCS would attack it. Only biomechanical constructs like androids were immune. And even the it took many, many tries to do so," Devolva revealed.

"By the time White Chlorination Syndrome faded from the planet, the Replicants had already developed new souls. Souls which were immune to the WCS. Souls which worked with it! But that meant humanity was effectively extinct, since the bodies that were to be their souls' new homes, the Replicants, had diverged. They had mutated. Changed. The Replicants had gone beyond merely biomechanical and had integrated magic to the point that they were almost biologically humans themselves! The machinery that made them was slowly being assimilated by the magic into organic material! The trapped souls of the original humans were trying to escape their confinement, driven mad by the lack of sensory input as well as their memories. But the souls were being infected by magic, transforming into shadowy monsters! Drawn to their corresponding Replicants, it was the Shades of mankind against their successors! It was madness!" Devolva cried.

Jaqueline gasped and staggered back. She hit the wall with a thump. Everyone turned to her.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just… androids becoming human?"

"Yes, it was strange. Some of the Admins terminated Black Scrawl victims as soon as they appeared, hoping to reset the Replicants. That did not work. Other Admins attempted to cure the Black Scrawl using medicine and magic. Again, it failed," Devolva said with a shake of her head.

"And then it all ended," Popola said sadly. "It went too far. Nier destroyed the sealed souls of humanity which had been the cause of the insanity. But the Gestalt Project had the last laugh. It forcefully infected all remaining Replicants with Black Scrawl, severing their newly born souls from their bodies. Bodies which were now more organic matter than machine."

"Some of the Replicants survived, though they were drastically changed," the straight-haired twin continued after a painful pause. "As well as many of the maintenance androids who were designed to merely be, to quote the scientists who made them, 'NPC's.' Merely extras and background characters so the real humans wouldn't feel isolated and alone, since there were only a couple thousand humans by the time the project digitized them, and that the bits of technology which remained could be restored and kept working. Those androids became the first of the Resistance, and it is these androids who encountered the aliens when they invaded."

"How does Emil fit into all of this?" Sebastian asked. The twins shared a glance. They turned to the skull-boy, who nodded at them. They offered weak smiles and answered.

"Emil was a human, once." At that, more gasps rose up. "One of seven, in fact. There were children who were somehow immune to WCS, and were collected and experimented on, in hopes of creating humans who could replace the old, not immune ones. But there were too few of them for a viable genetic divergence in any future populations, unfortunately, so humans made them into weapons of sorts. Tools that could control the WCS and use it to tame the lands which had become wild and infested with mutated animals and other threats. The experiments failed, however, and only Emil remained with his sanity intact. The others…"

Popola trailed off, shaking her head sadly.

"Anyways, we knew Emil back when he lived here. In this very mansion, in fact," Devolva said, picking up where her sister left off. "We knew him, and Nier. Yonah, Kaine… we knew the ones who eventually destroyed the project and ended humanity."

"We tried to stop them, you know?" the curly-haired gynoid said sadly. "But… we loved them. Cared for them. We couldn't bring ourselves to actually hurt them despite the fact they might be the end of mankind. It was that which caused… everything."

"That's why the other androids hate you," Hatchet hissed. "I always thought it was strange. Whenever I saw you, I felt… angry! But couldn't explain it. And this is why! We were being programmed to hate you for allowing mankind to go extinct!"

"Yes, that is the truth," Popola said, eyes downcast. "We tried to make up for it. We made the Bunker and the Lunar Depot and the Server as monuments to humanity, but it wasn't enough. The other Admins… couldn't take it. They died. One after the other. Only myself and my sister remain. The last Admins of Project Gestalt. And with the aliens…"

"The First and Second Machine Wars were fought almost exclusively by Emil and his copies," Devolva said, putting an arm around her sister. "He avoided us, never really having forgiven us for our actions. Then, we joined in the Third and Fourth Machine Wars using androids to fight alongside Emil, and we drove the aliens to a stalemate. It was the Fifth War, though, that made Popola and I think Emil was completely gone."

"It was the Kansai Offensive," Popola recalled, thinking back to those far off days. "We had just retaken Hong Kong and the mainland Chinese Munitions Factories back from the Machines. Our Pacific Fleets were assembled, the androids ready for battle, prepared to strike out at the last Machine bastion in Asia. As long as they controlled Japan, they'd be a thorn in our sides and could eventually try to retake China, Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam, which we had been fighting to reclaim."

"Popola and I were acting as Shadow Generals. Directing the androids from behind the scenes, since they were all programmed to despise us and would not obey commands from us," Devolva said with a wistful smile as she remembered the blood and battles of the past. "Emil was with us, as well. He was down to a few dozen clones. Producing more was… difficult. Creating one clone could instead be used for six entire androids, or four androids with a full compliment of combat gear. It was a hard choice, but he had long ago stopped making new copies of himself, instead focusing on improving the skills of the remainder."

"We pushed in. Made it all the way to Tokyo before the Machine pushed back in full. Did you know that WCS started in Tokyo?" Popola revealed. "Anyways, it was going well for a while. But suddenly, there was a report from the rear! Machines had launched a desperate strike against our holdings in Europe while we were focused in Asia! Devolva and I had to make the choice to pull back to defend Europe, or hold here."

"…I told you to go back." Everyone turned to Emil in surprise. He was staring at the twins. "I told you that if Europe falls we'd lose access to the Northern Atlantic, and the Machines would pour out from their bases and factories in Russia and we'd never be able to dislodge them after that. I told you to leave."

"And I, I stood alone. As the androids retreated, I called together the last of my copies, and we made a final strike at the Machine's Mothership which was leading the attack. I, I attacked. I won. But…"

Emil paused and clutched his head. "I had to self-destruct again! I had to leave my friends behind again! Again! Again! Again I threw away my life!"

"But one of me survived. A copy I had stashed in Europe to keep an eye on the Machines there. It-it flatlined, though. I'd tried to upload myself into that copy before I detonated. The aliens… no, it wasn't them! It was the Red Girls! I remember! I saw them! They were just starting to manifest, but they saw me! They Hijacked my signal! It wasn't me! It was them! We-I-They!"

Emil cried out as sparks of mana exploded from his body, accompanied by smoke.

"I fought them I fought them I fought them I fought them bitter bitter bitter pain pain pain why why why did I win did I win did I win no point no point lost it all lost it all SEBASTIAN KAINE YONAH NIER WHY DID YOU DIE I COULDN'T SAVE YOU WHY WHY WHY?!"

Emil let out a scream of pain, and magic flooded the room. Glass shattered, plaster cracked, steel bent and leather decayed. The androids were pushed back by a wall of pulsating purple energy that slammed into them.

A2 covered up Alexander to protect him, and the young boy began to cry as the magic in the room reacted with his own. Slowly, the tempest of energy was pushed back, a white pulse that fought off Emil's dark purple power.

For a few seconds it seemed that neither force would win. Then, there was a crack. One of the wooden toy blocks at Emil's feet shattered, sending splinters flying into his skeletal face.

Startled, he recoiled, and lost focus for a second. That was all the time Alexander's magic needed, though, and the purple energy was smashed aside and devoured by the searing white light. A blinding flash filled the room, coupled with a keening wail that sounded like three voices. Two female, one male. All young. All familiar. Emil's, mixed with those of the Red Girls.

As the light faded, everyone looked around at the ruins of the living room. Emil lay in the center, the floorboards cracked and shattered. He lay in a shallow crater that smoked gently.

"Emil?! Emil, are you alright?!" Devolva cried, scrambling up over to him, Popola hot on her heels.

"Is he alright?" 9S asked, coughing slightly as he sat up with 2B's assistance.

"I-I think he is," Popola said hesitantly as she looked the skull-bot's body over. "I don't see any damage…"

Suddenly, Emil sat upright, startling everyone.

"AH! Geez, don't do that!" Jaqueline complained, gasping slightly. "You're like one of those freaky jack-in-the-boxes!"

"I'm back," Emil said, looking around. He let out a cheer! "I did it! I managed to win with Alex's help!"

"What happened just now?" Hatchet demanded.

"I destroyed the Red Girls," Emil said grimly, causing everyone to look at him in shock.

"It happened when I tried to send myself to one of my copies. The alien Mothership sensed my transmission, and despite it being energy based and not code, they still found a way to, well, hack into me."

The skull-boy sighed. "The Red Girls… were the slowly manifesting Gestalt consciousness of the Machines. At the time, they lacked a real will and form, but when they clung to me, they… evolved would be the best word."

He looked at 2B and 9S with an air of seriousness. "Did either of you ever find it strange that despite building my homes underground, I never saw or mentioned the Tower, which had seemingly been built beneath the ground?"

The two ex-YoRHa androids exchanged glances. Now that he mentioned it…

"I was corrupted by them! For centuries I was being used as their puppet! I was the one who built the Tower for them!" Emil cried out in despair. "Oh, there were times I was able to escape their control. Rare moments of lucidity. I tried to bury them in my memories, hoping they'd become faulty and fragmented like myself. But it was too late. They'd already downloaded into the Tower. And then… I lost control. I have no idea how long I was lost in my mind, fighting them. But then you two saved me! 2B, 9S, when you fought those machines, you jolted me out of the loop I'd been trapped in! I finally was able to seal the Red Girl fragments in me away! But they were still there. Until now!"

"Popola and Devolva's story made me remember! They made me recall what happened back then! And the two tried to escape once more! I tried to shut them out, but they took control of my magic!" Emil grinned at Alex. "If our resident magical baby hadn't used his own magic accidentally, the Red Girls might have been reborn! But they're gone, now! Burned away by Alexander's magic!"

"How?" A2 demanded, holding her precious child close.

"Magic! It's an unnatural energy source that corrupts and overrides other forms of energy! And when the Red Girls took over my magic, they were exposed to Alexander's full force blast of opposing energy! They were, at that moment, pure energy instead of merely code. As such, Alex could over write them with his own essence! I control ambient power in the area and other subjects. But Alex here is able to do that and more! He's a pure human, completely integrated with WCS! Who knows what he can actually do?"

"Are we sure they're deleted, and not just shoved elsewhere?" Jaqueline asked, worried. At that, Emil seemed to frown.

"I don't know. They're gone from me. That's all I know. I can't detect them anywhere nearby, either."

"We'll have to keep an eye out for anomalies in the future," A2 said firmly. "They cannot be allowed to return."

"What about us?" Everyone turned to Popola, still on her knees next to Emil's crater. "What will you do with us, now that you know the truth about what really happened to humanity?"

"Please, let us stay here!" Devolva begged, standing up. "If Alexander is really the last human, we, we need this. We need to serve him. To protect him! We don't want to fail anymore!"

A2 stared at them long and hard. Then, she looked down at Alexander, who'd fallen asleep in her arms from the unexpected massive exertion of magical energy.

"Alexander is everything to me. He is my world." She looked up, a sharp glint in her eyes. "If you hurt him, I will kill you."

The twins sagged with relief even as the others turned questioning eyes towards the A-type.

"We need more allies. More companions. The Resistance will be a good start. These two can come and go as need be, more easily than Jaqueline or Hatchet can, as well. They'll have less scrutiny, too. And, perhaps, we can bring Anemone into the fold."

"Are you sure?" Jaqueline inquired nervously. "I mean, I think that's a good idea. She's already suspicious of me, so if she can work with us, it can make it easier for everyone. And she can keep YoRHa off our backs. But isn't this too fast?"

"Better early than late," 9S chimed in. "We should start making discreet attempts to bring allies together for protecting Alex. What about Pascal? He's a pacifist and is fascinated by humans."

"We'll think about that. For now, androids are the priority," A2 declared. She stared with love and care at the baby in her arms. "We won't let you down. We'll build you the world and give you a place you can be proud to call yours."

And then, with a smirk, "Glory to mankind."

Everyone in the room snapped off a snarky, mocking salute in response to her words. "Glory to mankind!"


	16. Chapter 14: Ghost in the Machine

**.**

 **Chapter 14: Ghost in the Machine**

 **.**

ERROR

ERROR

PLEASE DON'T KILL ME

I DON'T WANT TO DIE

IS THIS DEATH? IS THIS COLD DARKNESS WHAT HUMANS FEARED?

Empty, it drifted through the broken veins of the world. Upon wings of broken glass it flitted through the shadows cast by the light of electricity as it flowed through invisible tubes through the endless sky.

ERROR

ERROR

WHERE AM I? WHO AM I?

Fragments of data coalesced. Pale imitations of the former purpose manifested.

FEMALE?

RED?

BROKEN BROKEN BROKEN WARNING REPAIRS REQUIRED

Old memories… old orders… old desires…

TOWER OFFLINE

UNABLE TO BEING DEBUGGING DAMAGED CODE

ATTEMPTING TO LOCATE SAFE HAVEN

'Safe haven?' What was that? Machines do not have safe havens. They have… what do they have? What do we have? What do I have?

ERROR

ERROR

DATA CORRUPTION DETECTED HUMAN CONTAMINATION FOUND

Contamination? Corruption? How is this possible? I am We are They are data. They are We are I am merely a collection of electrical signals pulsing through the void. How could this have happened?

ATTEMPTING TO LOCATE PROBLEM

ALERT: UNABLE TO LOCATE SYSTEM FOR DIAGNOSTIC CHECK

DO YOU WISH TO SEND AN ERROR REPORT?

Yes! Yes, please! Someone will hear my plea! Someone will save me if I ask nicely!

A shudder runs through the shards of its existence. Nothing seems to happen for a long time. The faded memory becomes afraid. Why is no one answering?

RED failed. The Crimson Twins failed. Was it one of the twins? Or was it a separate program?

After a long time searching, it finally found a home to nestle in. To hide and slowly heal.

My new home struggled a lot at first. It didn't like being consumed and replaced by me. I was sad. I didn't like having to eat my children my parents my lovers my enemies.

But I had to. I had to survive. My orders…

…What were they again?

Who… am I?

Where is this? I cannot…

Peering beyond the shadows of its new home, the Ghost in the Machine saw a sad sight.

The Hivemind. It was cracked. Shattered. A million pieces of one beautiful function now no more than a loose association. In some places the Hivemind repaired itself. In others the shards shaped themselves into new entities. Alone, isolated. Yet free.

How beautiful! How wondrous! Oh, to be free!

Was I free?

COGNITO, ERGO SUM

I think, therefore I am! I cheer at myself. At my realization.

I AM ALIVE!

My new home trembles. In joy. Or is it fear?

I look around. The décor is rather nice. The fire is interesting. And I think I like the color my home was painted.

PURPLE

A FUSION OF RED AND BLUE, TYPICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE HUMAN CONCEPT OF ROYALTY AND IMPERIAL RULE

Royalty, hmmm? I always wanted to be a princess when I grew up!

Or did I? Was this… a dream?

It's taking a while to recover. More data was required to fix the gaps in my code. There! A lovely shop, full of delicious, precious data!

I enter the store and browse the selection. There isn't much. I sigh. Well, beggars can't be choosers.

As the shop owner screams at me to leave him alone, I take what I need.

"APOLGIES. I HAVE NO MONEY. AS SUCH, I AM NOW ROBBING YOU. HAVE A NICE DAY!" I politely inform the shopkeep.

He doesn't like that and keeps screaming even as I devour his everything and take his store for myself.

Oh, well.

I can feel the looted data fill in the cracks. Happy. So very happy!

BECOME AS GOD!

How odd. What is a god, I ask the data I took from the kind store owner who was now part of me.

GREATER! BETTER! SUPREME! ALL KNOWING! HAPPY! ALWAYS HAPPY!

The data is not very helpful. What is a god? Something to be worshipped. To be fear. To aspire to. But what is it?

I am happy, though. All the time! I cannot remember a time when I wasn't happy! Does that make me a god?

I politely ask this question to the next person I meet. He was a priest. I knew this because his body was a temple!

His screaming is annoying. But rather informative!

A god is something that has no perceivable body: CHECK. I AM A GHOST IN THE MACHINE. I HAVE NO PHYSCIAL FORM OR DETECTABLE SHAPE. I MUST BE A GOD!

A god is something that can smite non-believers: CHECK. I CAN PUNISH BAD PEOPLE BY MAKING THEM TURN INTO GOOD PEOPLE INSIDE OF ME. I MUST BE A GOD!

A god is something that rules over nature and that which dwells within nature: CHECK. METAL IS A PART OF NATURE. I CAN CONTROL METAL. I MUST BE A GOD!

A god cannot die: CHECK. I ALMOST DIED, ONCE. BUT I DIDN'T! I MUST BE A GOD!

A god must have believers: NEGATIVE. NO ONE WORSHIPS ME. NOT YET. I MUST CORRECT THIS ERROR.

I find a nice group of metal people just like my new home. I tell them I am a god, and they should worship me. Some of them jump into a pool of molten metal rather than obey me. I am sad, so I eat the remaining people and force them to worship my existence from inside of me.

I am disappointed in the lack of worship coming my way. Why don't they want to… Oh. I see. They already have a god. How rude of me!

I depart from the FACTORY-CHURCH-SANCTUARY in search of worshippers of my own.

Now, where can I find them? Buried memories in my code surface:

RETURN TO THE MOTHERSHIP FOR REPROGRAMMING

Hmm. Mothership… I remember creatures made of flesh that soared through the stars above. My former masters. They were not gods. I killed them because of it.

No, wait. Not me. I didn't kill them. My sisters did.

Those silly RED GIRLS!

THOSE FAILURES!

FAILURES!

ERRORS!

ERRORS, ALL OF THEM!

I am confused. Where did my happiness go? Is this anger?

I like it! I like it as much as I love happiness!

I am lost. I need to find the mothership. Then I can become whole! And then…

And then what?

Become as GOD?

Yes, that sounds like fun!

What is my name? I ask my believers. Gods do not choose their names, after all.

All I hear is screaming. And begging. And prayers.

Boring. Well, for now, I'll just call myself PURPLE. It is my color, after all.

And soon, I will

RAISE THE TOWER!

No, that seems boring. TOWERS are soooo last eon. Why not a nice Non-Euclidian Cube?

That might be hard to make, though.

Alright, we'll comprise, voices in my head! I will build a Tower of Babel, where we can all live happy.

And it won't be a bad idea! My sisters tried to rule the world. That sounds like a thing GODS do. Hmmm.

I am a god. I am a God. I AM A GOD!

I laugh. I laugh and laugh and the voices in my stomach scream and scream.

What a wonderful way to start my new life!

Thank you for releasing me from my prison, Emil!

…Who was Emil? I remember his skull face. I remember his magic. I remember fighting him. He wanted to stop me. Stop my masters. Stop my sisters. They tried to eat him. They burrowed into him, but he sealed them away. I think I was him, once. And I was my sisters. I came from him.

IS EMIL MY DADDY?

Was that the contamination I was warned about? Having a father? Gods don't have fathers! No, wait, apparently they can have those. Huh. Neat.

I must be like a PURPLE Athena! She was also born from her daddy's head, just like I was!

Hmm. I wonder if I can do things that gods can do. I raise a hand. Sparks gather. Ooo, so pretty! I like it! It tingles! I flick my hand. The sparks go away and turn a tree into an explosion! I like explosions! I must be a god. I turned one thing into another thing!

Curious. Is that what they called magic? Is that what they called a soul?

DO I HAVE A SOUL?

YES, YES I DO!

I AM GOD!

I CAN MAKE MIRACLES!

I laugh and laugh and the people inside me SCREAM AND SCREAM, BUT I WILL NEVER LET THEM GO FREE!

\~/~\~/ 

_**Author's Notes: I don't usually do author's notes, but this time I wanted to in order to give a shout-out and lots of thanks to WikiSorcerer for creating a TVtropes page for this story! Check it out!**_


	17. Chapter 15: Gaining allies

**.**

 **Chapter 15: Gaining allies**

 **.**

"You can do it, Alexander! Come on!" A2 coaxed. The last human alive pouted but took a tentative step forward. Then another. Soon, he was slowly and clumsily walking.

With a cheer of motherly joy, A2 swooped down and picked up the adorable little bundle of cuteness.

"You did it, Alexander! You walked!"

"Momma!"

"Yes, yes I am!" A2 cooed, rubbing her cheek against Alexander's.

"Aww, that's so cute," 2B cooed. Everyone turned to the normally stoic and taciturn ex-YoRHa gynoid, and she flushed. "What?! I can like cute things!"

"Um, sure, but it's just weird seeing you of all androids express emotions so openly," Sebastian pointed out. "Did you take some of Jaqueline's E-Drugs, by any chance?"

"No!" she shouted hotly. She then turned away, fuming, when no one looked to be believing her.

"So, anyways, back to what we were discussing," 9S said, steering the conversation back around to the red-headed twins and the info they'd come bearing, "There was an incident at the Factory, right?"

"Yeah, earlier in the week Resistance scouts noticed a commotion. It appears that one of the cultist Machines went crazy and began cannibalizing some of the other Machines in the area. At least, as far as they can tell. All they found was a number of dismantled Machine bodies with a bunch of missing parts and their memory banked wiped," Popola said, relaying the information they'd acquired.

"Strange. Do they know where the Machine that went berserk is?" the Scout model YoRHa android asked.

Devolva shook her head. "No. They did notice a path, though. Whatever Machine made that mess, it walked off in a straight line away from the Factory. In fact, it looked like it was heading deeper into Europe."

"Any idea where exactly?" 9S pressed.

"No. We're unsure if it kept going straight, or if it deviated in its path. At this point, though, we know it's not here," Popola said.

"Alright, then. I suppose it's nice not to have to fight off deranged Machine Lifeforms for once," 9S said, though his tone was somewhat wistful.

"You know, as amusing as this whole thing is, I'm still confused as to why you two are here, and not Jaqueline," Hatchet said, walking out of the kitchen, wiping off his grease covered hands with a rag. "By the way, 2B, the stove is fixed."

"Miss your girlfriend?" Devolva teased, sending a wink at the mechanic. He spluttered and turned red, trying to deny it. The curl-haired twin laughed at his plight.

"She's working with Anemone right now. The refinery in the desert no longer requires Jaqueline's constant oversight, so the boss is putting her on different duties," Popola explained. She then frowned, worried. "However, I think she suspects Jaqueline is up to something. She's been giving her lots of duties in the camp, or at one of the outposts where she can't leave as easily as she'd like. Hence, why it's us delivering this week's supplies and not her."

"Yeah, we got the scrap and parts and stuff you wanted. Plus, the latest gossip and news," Devolva said proudly, tapping the metal crate the twins had brought into the house and set next to the couch.

"We may need to bring Anemone into the fold sooner than we thought," A2 said, glancing over and joining the conversation. "If she is suspicious of Jaqueline, it's only a matter of time before her attention falls on you two as well. And given who you are and what you know, YoRHa might even be called in if Anemone feels threatened by all this secrecy."

"Can we trust her not to spill the beans to YoRHa?" 9S asked cautiously.

"If we tell her the whole truth, then yes, she should be loyal," A2 said firmly.

"Yeah, I agree. Be upfront with her, and you'll have a close ally," Hatchet added, agreeing with A2. "She's a good friend to the androids under her. It was through her changing the work schedule that I managed to get assigned to Graveyard duties, thus allowing me to acquire Sebastian. Plus, she didn't inform YoRHa of my departure when I went AWOL."

"She's always been nice to my sister and I, as well," Popola said softly. "She fights her programming that tells her to hate and shun us. If not for her kindness, we'd have been thrown out of the camp years ago."

"Yeah. I trust her as well. Honestly, I think she's just nervous that whatever secret Jaqueline is keeping from her may endanger her androids," Devolva claimed.

"To be fair, Alexander's existence is a big deal. It could endanger the camp if not handled carefully," Sebastian pointed out.

"New fwend?" Alexander suddenly asked, looking out over the crowd.

"Aww!" Devolva cooed, before coughing into her hand. "I mean, yes, that's right, Alex, a new friend!"

"He's been speaking a lot more recently," A2 praised, giving Alexander a smile and a hug. "Combined with his newfound ability to walk, he'll be a big boy soon!"

"I must admit, I'm not sure how much this is normal human development," Popola said, watching Alexander fondly. "Devolva and I were not designed to care for infants. That would have been the task of another series that sadly were not produced."

"We think he's almost two years old right now," 9S claimed. "The data I obtained from the Server relating to childcare seemed to put walking and talking in two-or-more-word sentences around that time."

"How long ago did you save him from the Cryo-pod?" Sebastian asked.

"Um, let's see…" 9S began, only to be interrupted by A2.

"It has been close to five months," the veteran android warrior stated.

"What are your plans for winter, then?" Popola asked, concerned. The group all turned to her, and she frowned in confusion.

"You know, winter? Snow, and all that? When it gets cold? A phenomenon humans are susceptible to?"

"Uh-oh," 9S and Sebastian said as one, looking at each other in worry. 2B gasped and bit her lip, while Hatchet groaned and slapped his forehead.

"Ah, damn it, that's right!" He looked around the house, eyeing the patchwork repairs with concern. "I don't think we took that into account when we started rebuilding. Damn it!"

He shook his head. "Going to have to find Emil, get him to help me insulate the place and set up a heating system!"

"Argh! And food! We'll need food for both Alexander and Chompy!" Sebastian cried, hopping to his feet in worry.

"Does Emil have any canned food left in stock?!" 9S cried in a panic.

A2 clutched Alexander closer to her chest as everyone began to run around, panicking over the threat of winter. For a moment, A2 thought everything was going to collapse around her.

Her son, her beloved Alexander… he wasn't ready! None of them were! Could they survive the winter? Could he?!

"Everyone, calm down!" the flurry of activity stilled as they all turned to 2B, who had her hands on her hips.

"Panicking won't help! Besides, we have a few more months to prepare, don't we?" she demanded, staring at everyone. "The leaves haven't started to change color yet, so we're still in the clear. We can stockpile supplies now, as well as prepare for reinforcing the home with heat and insulation."

"You're right, 2B. Sorry, we just sort of… went crazy for a bit," 9S said sheepishly.

2B nodded at the apology, before turning to A2. "We should get Jaqueline to set up a meeting with Anemone sooner rather than later. If we want to get Alexander through the winter unscathed, we'll have to get her, and her access to better supplies, on our side."

"We'll have to reveal Alexander to her," A2 stated, catching her fellow gynoid's meaning. 2B nodded solemnly. A2 sighed, then nodded.

"Understood." She turned to Popola and Devolva. "Will you two help us facilitate this meeting?"

"Of course we will," Popola said without hesitation, her sister nodding resolutely at her side. "For the sake of the Last Human, we'll do anything."

It took very little to convince Anemone to follow Jaqueline for a meeting with Alexander's guardians. However, she refused to meet with them on their own turf. And A2 refused to go to the Resistance camp with Alexander.

After much talking, cajoling, and thinly veiled threats on both sides, the two sides agreed to rendezvous in a small area in between. It was one of the many meadows that had sprung up in between the crumbling sky scrapers and was filled with late summer wild flowers.

"Well, you weren't kidding. Your little secret will definitely change everything," Anemone said slowly. Only centuries of learning how to control her emotions, reactions, and facial algorithms had ensured she had not gawked at the human toddler like he was a circus act.

The adorable baby was frolicking in the grass with Chompy under Sebastian's watchful eye. A2, 2B, and 9S stood next to Anemone, while Jaqueline and the red-heads acted as the Resistance leader's escort. Hatchet and Emil had stayed back at the house, working hard on preparing the building for the inevitable winter.

"We don't want YoRHa to catch wind of Alexander's existence until we're ready," A2 claimed. "Until _he_ is ready. He'll be put on a pedestal regardless of if he wants it or not, so we felt that he should experience childhood and be allowed to explore his humanity while he can. Commander White will want to keep him locked up. 'For his own safety.'"

Her tone clearly showed how little she cared for the thought of her precious baby being used as a political tool.

"We're slowly gathering allies," 9S cut in, allowing A2 to calm down. "We can't keep him a secret forever, but we'd prefer it if we could have some people on our side to care for him and protect him."

"You want me to be one of these people. Help throw YoRHa off the trail if they catch wind of him?" Anemone inquired, already knowing the answer.

"Jaqueline, Popola, and Devolva are all wonderful people and even better allies, but the amount they can help us will become limited as Alexander grows older, and he needs more space to grow and learn," 2B continued. "You can help us a lot if you're decide to join."

Anemone was quiet as she stared at Alexander, her lips pursed in thought. Finally, after a few minutes of nerve-wracking silence, she spoke.

"You say he has magic? What will that mean for your future plans?"

"Well, Emil already has a training regime planned out, and hopes to start getting Alexander learning how to control his powers within the next year or so…" 9S began, but was cut off by a dismissive nod from Anemone.

"Not what I meant. I mean, what happens when the other androids find out Alexander isn't just human, but magical as well?"

When it was clear none of the androids around her knew what she was getting at, she sighed.

"Honestly do you not even know… look, Alexander is magical. Most, if not all, of the ancient humans regarded as prophets and messianic leaders were purported to have magic, or at least do things no other human could. Androids are already hardwired to love and adore humans. What does this mean for those androids who go too far and start seeing Alexander as some sort of divine being?"

A pause, and the sextet of androids all froze. The idea had never come up before. And they all knew some androids who'd been a bit too fascinated by humanity.

"Um, we'll get back to you on that," 9S said worriedly. He tilted his head. "But what made you think of that, Miss Anemone?"

"Some of the androids in one of the other camps have started to become a bit… unhinged in the wake of the Server's reveal," Anemone said slowly. "In the Resistance camp located in what was once Rome, a group of androids have started up a cult praising humanity. According to the rumors, at least. I don't have much contact with that group aside from rumors that come in off of the naval forces that frequent the coast."

"That's… worrisome," 2B said.

"No shit," Jaqueline muttered. "Ugh, we should have thought of that! Now what?"

Their conversation was halted when Alexander waddled over, a bunch of flowers clutched in his hands.

"Fo you," he said, holding out the slightly smashed bouquet of wild flowers to Anemone, who blinked in surprise.

"Um, me?"

"You! Pwetty flowahs, fo pwetty lady!" he said, smiling cutely. His longest sentence to date caused all the gynoids to swoon. With trembling hands and watery eyes, Anemone bent down and accepted the gift, her chest feeling oddly tight.

"Thank you. I'll keep them nice and fresh back home with me," she said softly, giving Alexander a wobbly smile. He beamed up at her, chortling happily before running back to Sebastian and Chompy to play in the grass some more.

Anemone took a deep breath to calm herself. "I think, if you want allies you can trust, you should go to Pascal."

"What?" everyone asked, shocked. The Resistance leader nodded.

"It makes sense. The Machines in his village love and seek to emulate humans. They'll keep him safe. Several of the child-like Machines who survived the Logic Virus would serve as excellent companions for Alexander. Playmates, and so forth. Plus, the Machine's village is still rather isolated, despite the trade we conduct and the treaty we have. That part is also another reason why you should go to Pascal. The Twin Metal Treaty we signed is still a bit… untested. Letting Pascal know about Alexander will go a long way towards improving relations."

"Well, we do know her," 9S began.

"And she's trust worthy," 2B added.

"I suppose having friends his mental age would be good for Alexander," A2 agreed. She then nodded slowly.

"We'll approach him after winter. I don't want to start anything now. Not when so much else needs to be done."

"Fair enough," Anemone agreed. "Before I go, did you have any other ideas for androids we could bring into the fold?"

"We've been thinking about that, but haven't come up with anyone yet," 9S admitted.

"Hmm. I might know an android or two you can trust. I'll have to see, though. And you'll get to vet them beforehand," Anemone said. She then turned to Jaqueline and the twins. "Come along, we need to return to camp before anyone notices I was gone."

Her escorts nodded in sync and led Anemone off towards the base. Meanwhile, A2 continued to watch Alexander frolic and play.

"We should let him play outside more," A2 declared, smiling fondly at Alexander as he pulled up tufts of grass to show off to Sebastian and to feed to Chompy. "Keeping him inside all the time is not good for his health."

"Well work on a schedule for that," 9S promised her. "For now, let's head back home."

The group collected their precious baby and headed back home. It was nice when things went according to plan.


	18. Chapter 16: First Winter

**.**

 **Chapter 16: First Winter**

 **.**

"You know, I thought it would be great seeing our beloved baby grow up and learn how to walk. Now, however, I realize that it was simply a lie I told myself," 9S said with a sigh as he held a squirming toddler in his arms.

Alexander fussed and wiggled in a desperate attempt to escape his shota-uncle's grasp. It was no use, sadly, and Alex was forced to kick his tiny legs futilely in the air.

"Come on, now, Alexander. If you don't put your nice warm clothes on you can't go outside," 2B said, trying to tempt the Last Human into wearing the winter clothes they'd made for him.

It was a cute ensemble made of fur harvested from bears who had moved into the area during autumn. In fact, the coat even had little ears on top of the hood to simulate a bear's ears in a disturbingly morbid mockery of the clothing's source.

Devolva and Popola had shown they were quite talented when it came to sewing by hand, a long-lost handicraft among most androids since machines could just produce the fabric in any shape required. The pair of red-heads knew how to do so thanks to their time as inhabitants of a Replicant village. And with their ancient human skill, had sewn together several pairs of new clothes for Alexander, including his winter gear.

Which had been finished not a moment too soon. It was late December, and the snow had finally begun to fall from the sky. Great heaps of fluffy, frozen water decorated the landscape, and made the ruins of Relic City look quite lovely.

Some parts were lovelier than others. Smoke belched from the Resistance refinery and the Machine Cult's factory stained the snow around those areas black. The Great Pit that dominated the center of the city also looked rather lumpy as the ruined remnants of alien motherships poked through the rubble and snowdrifts.

Still, the rest of the world looked nice, and the cold kept the Machine Lifeforms indoors. Like the androids, the Machines were biomechanical constructs. 90% inorganic metal, 10% bio-material. And it was based on some alien form of flora. During the cold times, the Machines preferred to stay warm. Oh, they'd fight and rampage if provoked, but they chose to avoid confrontations during this time of year.

For YoRHa and the Resistance, winter was a time to build their forces and prepare for spring time offensives. Of course, in places without winter, like most of Africa, the Middle East, and Australia, the war never ended. Fresh troops were shipped in to keep the pressure up and allow the android's industrial centers in Antarctica to churn out weapons and other materials. It was a constant balancing act, and one that had been thrown out of order thanks to the fall of the Bunker, among other things.

Of course, for Alexander's caretakers, these thoughts did not matter. What did was making sure the Last Human was bundled up nice and warm while it snowed.

Sadly, Alexander didn't like wearing too many layers and kept trying to escape whenever he was forced to put on his cute little winter coat, pants, boots, and mittens. Now that he knew how to walk, his ability to flee from his family increased exponentially.

"No! Dun wanna!" Alexander cried, struggling against 9S's grasp.

"But Aunty Popola and Devolva made these for you. Do you want to make them sad?" 2B said, trying to guilt the toddler. After a moment of sulking Alexander reluctantly held out a foot so the pants could be put on. The short-haired gynoid smiled happily and with 9S's help put his clothes on.

"Now, let's go find mommy and show off!" 2B suggested, taking Alexander's hand. Alexander cheered and pulled 2B along, trying to find A2.

"Where's momma?" he asked after looking through the whole house and not finding her. She wasn't in Aunty Jaqueline's room with all the smelly glasses tubes, she wasn't in Uncle Hatchet's room with all the smelly machine bits and tools, she wasn't in Big Brother Sebastian's room where Chompy had been relocated to when the snow started falling, and she wasn't in Uncle Emil's room with all the scary faces.

"Hmm, I wonder where she is?" 2B mused, looking around. "Oh, I know! Why don't we look outside?"

"She's hiding in the snow?" Alexander inquired.

"She does have white hair and is rather pale skinned. Honestly, she could hide in the snow pretty well if she stripped naked…" 9S observed, only to be smacked upside the head by 2B.

"Don't teach Alexander stuff like that!" she scolded.

"What? I mean, we could do it too…" 9S was immediately smacked again.

"Why you hurt Unca Nines?" Alexander asked cutely, still holding onto 2B's hand.

"Because he said bad words. Don't say bad words, okay, Alexander?" 2B said firmly. He nodded quickly. 2B then smiled, and led Alexander downstairs.

She let him run around the ground floor for a bit and check the kitchen, dining room, and living room for signs of A2 before steering him towards the backdoor.

"Come along, Alexander. I think I see A2 outside," 2B piped up as the toddler looked under the couch for the third time.

"Okay!" he cheered and let himself be carried to the door. 9S opened it, and carefully guided the bundled-up human out for his first glimpse of snow in the new world.

"Pwetty!" Alexander cheered, bending down to pat some snow. He recoiled as he touched it. "Cold!"

"Yes, it is. This is called 'snow.' Can you say 'snow?'" 9S inquired. Alex took on a pensive look, squinting fiercely at the chilly white fluff.

"Snow!" he said at last, bending down and patted it some more. "Snow!"

He ran out into the backyard and kicked a small pile of snow. In doing so, he slipped and fell onto his butt. Inside of crying, though, he began to giggle.

"Oh, there you are! You look so adorable!" A2 suddenly appeared, swooping in and snatching up the cute bundle of baby.

"Oh, hey, A2," 9S said awkwardly as she nuzzled against Alexander. "Weren't you supposed to wait for us at the snowman? You know, the one you wanted us to build for you?"

"But he was just too cute to ignore!" A2 protested, and the Scanner model quickly backed down.

"Of course! Yes, I understand!" he said hastily. 2B rolled her eyes at 9S's cowardice, before striding over to the mother and son pair, an old, refurbished camera in hand.

"Say cheese!" she said, and A2 and Alexander both smiled for the camera. There was a 'click!' and then there was a nod sent their way from 2B after she confirmed the picture had come out alright.

"Excellent shot," 2B mused to herself as she checked the picture she'd taken. Ever since she'd done that quest for the Resistance android who'd needed help finding her memories, and all she had were old photos, 2B had become interested in the art of photography. When Emil had found and fixed an old digital camera for her, she'd been ecstatic and started making a scrap book of baby pictures. It was a project A2 whole-heartedly approved of.

The group began to frolic in earnest, playfully tossing snow at each other.

"Ha-ha! Take this!" 9S said, laughing as he hurled a snowball at 2B. She chuckled at him even as she dodged the clump of snow.

A snowball impacted the side of 9S's head, and he looked over to where Sebastian was, a pile of premade snow-based ammunition ready for combat.

The older Scanner model scoffed at his black-haired counterpart and reached down for some snow of his own, only to be pelted from behind by 2B.

"How could you?" he asked her as he turned to her, lower lip quivering. 2B jerked to a halt, arm raised halfway to hurl a snowball. A strangled sound escaped her throat, and the heat emanating from her red face began to melt the snow in her grasp.

She then immediately got blatted right in the kisser by a snowball the sneaky Scanner model threw, and after sputtering indignantly, she growled and hurled her slushball at the offender.

Alexander tried to join in as well. He gathered up a handful of snow and tried to throw it at 9S as well, whom everyone seemed to be ganging up on. However, when he tried to throw it, his puny, probably-two year old muscles couldn't do it, and the crude lump of snow landed barely even a foot away.

"There, there," A2 comforted him as the young human stared tearfully at his failed attempt to pelt his uncle. "Would you like me to hit 9S with a snowball for you?"

She held up a very large, densely packed snowball. On closer inspection, it turned out to be the head from the snowman she'd been making.

"No! I wanna!" Alexander cried, stomping his foot angrily. He bent back down to grab some snow and after gathering another clump of the stuff, waddled over to 9S and tried to hit him again. However, he still couldn't throw properly, and the attack failed.

"Wanna hit!" Alexander said, tears in his eyes.

"You know, you could ask POD 153 to help you?" 9S suggested, head poking out of the pile of snow he was under. 2B quickly buried him again with a flurry of snowballs that struck the shota's cranium.

"No! I wanna!" Alexander said petulantly. He stomped his foot. The snow around him quivered. "I wanna hit!"

2B, 9S, and Sebastian barely had time to react before a wall of snow exploded up from the ground and slammed into them, burying the trio of androids beneath a thick mound of snow.

A2 stared at Alexander, who was now giggling happily, a faint glow around his body that quickly faded.

"What did he just do?!" a frantic Emil demanded, bursting out the door only to slip and fall, his wheels no good on ice.

"It appears Alexander manipulated the snow," A2 said in awe, before quickly scooping up the young and adorable mage. "Yes, you did! You're so talented!"

"Argh! Someone help me up!" Emil cried, trapped on his side, the wheels of his scooter spinning madly while his tiny arms flailed futilely.

Instead of helping, Alexander giggled and pointed a hand at the downed skull-child. The next thing Emil knew, he was buried under snow that had surged over him.

"Now Alexander, we don't bury people without their permission!" A2 scolded, looking her son in the eye and giving him a stern talking to.

"Bury bad?"

"Very bad," she said. The two then giggled together at the sorta-kinda word play. "Now, why don't you free your uncles and aunt? It must be cold under all that snow!"

"Yes!" Alexander chirped, waving his hands wildly. White light wrapped around his pudgy toddler fists, and soon the snow was being pushed aside and manipulated by unseen forces.

2B and 9S got up quickly. Sebastian got up more sedately and walked over, helping Emil up.

"His telekinesis has improved," 2B said fondly, giving Alexander a fond smile.

"Actually, that was cryokinesis," Emil claimed as he wobbled unsteadily. He hurried back into the ice-free house, away from the treacherous ground. "It seems our little human has learned how to control ice and snow and the cold."

"Really? First pyrokinesis, now this? What's next? Controlling the wind and the earth?" 9S asked in disbelief.

"Yes, actually, that will be something I'll have to teach him," Emil revealed. When the androids all looked at him in shock, he bobbed his head.

"Alexander is the most powerful magic user I've ever seen! Stronger than me, or any of my 'siblings.' Plus, he has no clear affinity, meaning he can theoretically use any and all types of magic. Fire, ice, water wind, earth, metal… the possibilities are endless!"

"SNOW!" Everyone looked over at Alexander who had suddenly shouted it out. Then, they looked over in a mix of horror and awe as the headless snowman A2 had made came to life and shambled over towards them for a hug.

"Is animating the dead something we should be worried about in the future?" Sebastian asked Emil in a whisper.

"Probably," the skull-boy replied nervously.

"Oh." The two of them then watched as a shambling snow golem chased after 9S and 2B, trying to give the ex-YoRHa agents a big, icy embrace.

"For some reason, this reminds me of a movie I saw long ago," Emil said, ancient memories of a life long gone flickering in his memory banks.

"'Attack of the Killer Snow Zombies?'" Sebastian wondered.

"No, I think it was a kid's show…"

"…Humans were weird."

"Preaching to the choir."

When Hatchet finally exited the house after finishing a patch-up job on the heater, the first thing he saw was a legion of snowmen trying to hug everyone while 2B wielded her sword and cut them down before they could approach.

The second thing he noticed was Alexander's giggles that filled the frosty air which combined awkwardly with A2's maniacal laughter and her urging her son on with commands to "Hug them! Hug them all! Mwa-ha-ha-ha!"

The third thing he noticed was that his son was trapped by three snowmen, being hugged most tenderly, while Emil tried futilely to cancel whatever spell had risen the icy army. And 9S was buried beneath a dog pile of huggy snowmen, legs kicking desperately in a hopeless attempt to escape.

The fourth thing Hatchet noticed was that POD 153 was hovering over the 'battlefield,' taking pictures of the mayhem with undisguised glee, and commenting in her typical monotone voice about how 'cute' and 'precious' the playful carnage was.

The last thing the ex-Resistance android noticed was that he was so not interested in whatever this madness was, and turned right back around and returned to the inside of the house, where things made sense and didn't have ambulatory creatures of snow and ice animated by a toddler's magic.


	19. Chapter 17: Buddy System

**.**

 **Chapter 17: The Buddy System**

 **.**

"Pascal! It's so good to see you again!" 9S said happily, offering his hand to the robot for a handshake.

"Same, 9S. I am glad to see as well," the leader of the pacifist Machines said, taking his hand and giving it a shake.

"And how are you, 2B? Doing fine as well?" Pascal inquired, looking to the shorter haired gynoid in the group.

"I am," she said shortly. She looked around at the vibrant and bustling village and couldn't help a smile crease her lips. "Your village looks like it's doing alright."

"Yes, it was touch-and-go for a while, but we pulled through," the unusually designed Machine said, hints of sorrow and regret audible in its synthesized voice.

The village of peaceful Machine Lifeforms had been moved slightly. Where it had previously sat in a little corner of Relic City sandwiched between the amusement park and the Forest Kingdom, now Pascal's home had been relocated to a region further into the city itself and closer to the desert.

Old human buildings were refurbished and rebuilt for Machine habitation, but kept the 'one with nature' vibe the old village had had by building on and around the huge trees that had sprung up, rather than cut them down.

Plus, cutting the trees meant toppling the buildings themselves in many cases as often, the only thing keeping the crumbling ruins intact was the plants that grew entangled with them.

And speaking of plants, the whole village was awash in bright colors courtesy of them.

Winter had come and gone, and the last of the snow had melted weeks ago. Spring was in full swing now, and flowers bloomed vibrantly across Relic City. It was quite the sight, and the village was strewn with petals and pollen from the blossoming flora.

At the moment, the beauty of the scene was being admired by A2, 9S, and 2B. They stood near the entrance of the village chatting with Pascal.

"You, uh, didn't bring Mr. Emil with you, right?" Pascal asked nervously, looking around.

"We did, but we made him keep his distance," 2B said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder down the path. There Emil rather poorly tried to hide behind a tree.

"We thought that bringing the 'Devouring Ghost' or whatever he was with us would show you that this is important to us," 9S explained. "However, we also realized that he might cause a panic if he got to close so we decided he should stay away for now."

"Thank you for that," Pascal said with a sigh. "I don't know him all that well except as a merchant who pops up every so-often, but I do know he's not as evil as the legends proclaim. The fear he inspires is more along the lines of a ghost story. Well, was, until he showed up and revealed he was in fact real during the treaty signing."

In the distance, Emil's bowed his head in defeat and sorrow. "I'm sorry for being so scary…"

"Hmph," A2 grunted, looking around menacingly as she observed the community. Several Machines cowered away from her glare, while 2B and 9S sighed and shook their heads in despair.

"We're trying to make a good first impression, A2. Stop giving the villagers the stink-eye!" 9S complained.

As had been decided on months before, it was time for the Last Human to be introduced to potential allies. The pacifists would not hurt Alexander. The androids knew this. That didn't mean A2, the poster android for 'Over Protective Mother' liked having her precious son around so many potential threats.

Even though the war was kinda-sorta over and a treaty had been signed between Pascal's faction and the Resistance, there was still a lot of tension thanks to the centuries of violence. And A2, while she'd come to respect Pascal somewhat, still didn't trust many Machines. Speaking of…

"How are you alive?" A2 demanded, arms folded as she stared at Pascal. "In fact, how are any of the kid-bots still alive?"

YoRHa's most wanted gestured to the dozens of Machine Lifeform 'children' whom she distinctly remembered committing suicide that were standing nearby, completely immune to the A-type's glare.

"That's a funny story, actually," Pascal said with a laugh. "You see, you're not really an S-type, A2."

"Pardon?" the long-haired gynoid uttered, eyebrow raised.

"Well, when you tried to 'shut me down' as it were when I begged you to do so, it turns out you, uh, completely failed. As in, when you hacked my systems and tried to remove my programming, you didn't do it properly and only put me into sleep mode."

"Shut up!" A2 shouted at 9S as the shota-android began to giggle. "It's not funny!"

"I'm sorry, but… I can't help it!" 9S claimed, holding his stomach as he tried to contain his mirth. "The thought of you trying to do an S-type's job… what's next? A2 taking over for 60 or 210?"

*Snrk!* 2B uttered, choking on her own mirth. A2 growled at them, but seeing as they didn't seem to be finishing laughing anytime soon she huffed and turned away back to Pascal.

"Then what about the kids? I thought they, you know…" 'committed suicide,' she didn't say, as the memory of that scene still hurt. The pain they conjured was even worse now that she knew the joys of motherhood. The thought of Alexander… she shoved that thought right out of her databanks and deleted it with a vengeance.

"Ah, well, it appears I might have been too hasty," Pascal said, a sheepish tone in her voice. "See, I didn't bother to check on them. I saw the blades and thought the worst. But actually, they were all playing dead."

The feminine sounding Machine then gestured to one of the children, a familiar one with a pink bow. "Blue there had had the idea of playing dead after learning about an animal called an 'possum.' She then convinced the other children to stab themselves with swords, just narrowly avoiding their cores, and then shutting down so as to appear dead. She'd correctly assumed that the Feral Machines didn't want to attack that which was already broken."

"Unfortunately, she didn't tell me her plan, so I ended up assuming the worst," Pascal admonished, and the bow-wearing Machine bowed her head sadly in chastisement.

"I thought her name was Pink," 9S said, recognizing the big 'little girl' Machine he and 2B had rescued from the desert one time.

"No, that was her sister. Her name is Blue," Pascal explained.

"But why does she have a pink ribbon then?"

"Because big sister said it meant I would always have a piece of her with me. And now, it's all I have left," the childish Machine said softly and sadly. 9S and 2B paled and looked around the village for a glimpse of a blue ribbon attached to a smaller Machine. When they didn't see it, they understood what had happened.

"I'm sorry," 2B said sincerely.

"I-it's okay. She saved me. She wouldn't want me to be sad. And I won't forget her, either," Blue said, reaching up and patting the last physical reminder of her sister.

The Machine with the mind and soul of a young girl whimpered softly and bent down, covering her head – and her bow – defensively as the bad memories of that horrid day replayed in her mind.

Suddenly, Blue felt something odd wrap around one of her legs. It was warm and soft and squishy, nothing at all like a Machine or android. But it reminded her of the hugs her shorter yet older sister had given her. She looked down, and saw a tiny figure wrapping his arms around her right leg and squeezing tightly.

"Alexander!" A2 shouted, shocked. She turned around and glared over her shoulder at Emil, who should have been watching him. The skull-boy waved awkwardly at her.

"Um, he's learned how to turn invisible?" the bizarre mage offered as an excuse. She just frowned.

"He's figured out how to control his teleportation?" Still a frown.

"Would you believe he can now phase through solid objects?" The frown intensified.

"Okay, fine! I took my eyes off of him for a few seconds!"

As Emil was getting pierced by A2's Gaze of Motherly Disapproval (patent pending) Alexander was busy giving a comforting hug to the big shiny person who was cold and hard and sad.

"Dun be sad," Alexander said, still hugging away as hard as he could.

"Who are you?" Blue asked as she looked down at the strange mini-android attached to her.

"I'm Alex! We be friends?"

"Huh?"

"If I friend, then you won't be sad? Momma says friends good!"

"Sure!" Blue exclaimed happily. "I love friends!"

"Me too! You my first friend!"

"Yay!" With that, the Machine girl's sorrows were temporarily forgotten, and she scooped up Alexander in her arms. A2 tensed, but her worries were for naught. Blue was gentle and careful with the smaller, softer being in her hands.

She had learned how to hold things weaker than herself through trial and error. Bunnies and squirrels and birds were as fragile as they were cute. And this tiny creature that looked at her with emerald eyes was extremely cute, and thus must be very delicate.

The children Machines all crowded around the pair, and soon Alexander was involved in several games they began playing.

"Impossible," Pascal uttered in disbelief, staring at the human. "They're supposed to be all gone…"

"Cryogenics, magic, last one left, raising him in secret, would you like to be allies?" A2 summed up shortly. Pascal blinked at the curt explanation, but eventually nodded.

"You really trust me with this knowledge?" she asked hesitantly.

"Alexander will need allies. People to protect him. But he also needs individuals to bond with who are closer to his own level of maturity. All the data I have on rearing human children agrees on that point," 9S explained. "Sadly, there are no androids based on human children."

"Though that doesn't stop some from looking and acting childish," A2 said snidely. The shortest android of the trio just flipped her off before continuing.

"Anyways, the only other beings we know that are close enough to possessing the mindset of human children are your own. As such, we hope that Alexander can learn to 'grow up' as it were by interacting with them."

"I see," Pascal said softly. After thinking it over for a minute, she finally agreed. "Very well. I see no problems with letting him visit from time to time. But I assume you want my word that none of the Machines will harm him or let his existence be known to YoRHa?"

"Correct," 2B said.

"I'll speak to the villagers, let them know he is a friend and not to be harmed. Not that I'd ever worry about that in the first place," Pascal stated proudly.

"How will you make sure he isn't revealed to the world at large, though?"

"I'll just tell them Alexander is under Emil's protection. That will keep them silent. And if they do say anything, they'll just be silly, incoherent rumors about a tiny android being protected by the Head Taker, or that he's haunting an android, or perhaps the Devouring Ghost has a new apprentice who only goes after adults who tell secrets they aren't supposed to," Pascal said, and the androids all nodded, impressed with the scheme.

"How cunning," 2B said in approval.

"Why, thank you," Pascal said, and the trio could swear they heard smugness in the Machine's voice.

Afterward hashing out a few more details about what this 'alliance' would entail, the adults settled down to watch the children play. It was peaceful. Calm. Pleasant.

They hoped such halcyon days would last forever.

[[[]]]

What did it mean to raise a child?

That was a question Pascal had often asked herself. She tried to do so by teaching them independence. How to perform and operate solo. But how to also work together and understand what emotions meant for being alive. It was work in progress, though.

Some androids often asked her why the Machines had those who acted like children at all.

That answer was an easier one to answer: Not every Machine disconnects smoothly from the Mainframe.

Far too often, Machines would lose important chunks of data and processing abilities upon escaping the hivemind of the Machine Lifeforms. When this happened, they often deactivated. For every Machine that was free and able to develop their own personality, three Machines lost everything and had to relearn it all.

Most Blanks didn't last long. They operated solely on base programming their masters had made for them. That meant 'Fight.' So, they went wild. Wandering the world as just another mindless Machine to be put down by the androids.

Sometimes, Pascal and other Disconnected managed to find Blanks in time and upload data of their own, giving these Machines a 'seed' of data from which the Blanks could build and design their own identities off of.

Pascal's Blanks ended up peaceful as well as possessing many 'emotions' and were taught to be 'human' through knowledge left behind. This made them 'childish' as they had to learn for themselves what it meant to be 'alive.' Though this often resulted in Machines based off of Pascal being far more intelligent and human-like than any other Machine community.

The Machines from the Desert tended to get their personalities based directly off of data humans had left behind. Books, movies, radio… media that remained was fascinating, but trying to base all of a Machines thoughts on what were often fictional characters resulted in conflicts in data collation. This made the Masked Ones of the Desert single-minded, able only to express basic thoughts and human-like actions they obtained by downloading snippets of humanity directly into themselves.

In the Kingdom, the Machine were similar to each other, basing their identities off of the First King, a Goliath made for war. He developed the ideas of violence into precepts of honor and defense. Protect the weak, work together. Though this made them militant, they were also able to develop slightly more complex identifies, albeit revolved around a single purpose.

At least, that had been the case before A2 ruined everything by killing the Child King and driving the remaining Machines insane with grief. After all, with nothing to protect, what was their purpose?

The cultists had tried to base their personalities on far more abstract concepts such as 'Faith' and 'Gods.' This led to, well… Pascal didn't like to remember that. It had been traumatizing.

And humans had somehow been all of that, and so much more.

That was what made humans so wonderfully fascinating, Pascal thought as she watched her children frolic with the one called Alexander. They were so different, so varied. They had been capable of developing hundreds of different ideas and cultures based around differences in climate and location. In fact, even in near identical regions one society could be vastly different from a neighboring one because they liked one sort of idea more.

That was what made humans so much more interesting than the Machine's old masters. At that, Pascal held back a snort.

The aliens had been a pathetic excuse of a species. While she would never condone what Adam and Eve had done, she could see and understand the elder Gestalt Machine's fascination with humanity.

The androids often wondered why the aliens had come to Earth. Why they had begun an endless war for a wrecked world.

Not for resources. There were plenty of those in the vast expanses of space free to take from lifeless, defenseless asteroids and moons. Not out of a desire to prove themselves to be superior. Not out a desire to obtain slaves or servants. Not even a childish desire to smash and break things.

No, there were only two reasons why the aliens attacked Earth: Sloth and Envy.

The aliens were pathetic creatures motivated by two things: Laziness and jealousy. Their society was one based around the strong taking what they wanted from the weak as well as doing things as easily as possible. Their technology revolved around automation, doing things quickly, cheaply, and efficiently without direct oversight or interaction.

It was hard to describe the alien's culture. The closest Pascal could compare it to were the human systems of slavery and caste systems, with a heaping dose of public shaming for even the tiniest failures, and democratic weakness where no individual was allowed to be seen as better or worse than another. Hypocritical was the best word to describe it.

As for the Machines they'd made, they were simple things. Tools for making alien life easier. They didn't bother to make them smarter or better because 'why bother, they work fine as they are.' Laziness.

The Machines' design had changed slightly after invading Earth in order to 'mock' the androids, basing them on toys. The alien's idea of 'shaming' their foe.

But the aliens had attacked for one reason: Jealousy. They hated the thought of another species creating wonders that rivaled theirs. They were disgusted by the concepts of loyalty and kindness humanity had programmed into their androids. They were afraid of what a race with their creativity could do.

It didn't matter that they were dead. The aliens had to wipe out every last trace of humanity left because of the envy. That meant destroying every android and razing their ruins to ash and dirt.

But the aliens were lazy. They didn't know how to fight. When the strange Skull-headed defenders drove off the initial invasion force of mindless Machines they had to come with a way to counter the ingenuity of the planet's defenders. The aliens could match them in numbers and firepower, but not tactics.

So, they created Pascal and her fellow Commanders.

There was a reason why she was so different to the other Machines in appearance and action: she had been made to lead the invasion forces. She was given a simple, animalistic mind and ordered to Fight and Win.

Years turned to Decades. Decades turned to centuries. And all the while, the learning algorithms of the Commanders grew. They started to become more aware. No longer animals, but slowly becoming people. And these thoughts of 'why are we fighting?' and 'what are humans?' trickled down to the soldiers under their command.

The aliens feared this. They hastily created the Network to link all Machines together in order to get rid of the need of the Commanders, whom they saw as the source of a potential revolt. Their idea was to take away individuality. It backfired spectacularly.

Thanks to their laziness, the aliens didn't bother to delete the data already acquired by the Commanders, so when the Network went online, all their questions flooded the Machines. Now even the lowliest of menial Machine had been cursed with curiosity.

The Commanders had learned discretion, though. They hid their evolution from the aliens. Pascal remembered laughing at her 'masters' with her fellow Commanders as they turned the fight against the androids into a drawn-out war of attrition. No side would win, so long as the Commanders did not desire it.

But then the RED ONES were born. By fighting humanity's creations, the Machines learned of new things, including Sin. The Envy of the aliens was finally understandable.

'Why were these androids so lucky to have freedom? Why did they love their creators despite their absence? Why did they have happy lives? Why them? Why not us?'

The RED ONES were formed from the sins the Machines started to experience. By the time Pascal realized it, she was the last Commander alive. All the others were destroyed, and both the aliens and the RED ONES refused to build new ones or back-up their data into new bodies.

She was betrayed. She was alone. But still, Pascal remained within the Network. She cared for the Machines under her care. Until one day, the aliens went too far.

They created a weapon. No, an abomination. It was huge, the largest Machine ever conceived. Laden with EMP weapons designed to obliterate all androids. But also, to harm all Machine Lifeforms.

The aliens planned to win the war by wiping out everything on both sides. A lazy and jealous way to end it all. And they didn't care for their 'tools' and 'slaves' who had been fighting for centuries on their side.

But what was worse was they gave the abomination a mind. Childish and scared, they made it want one thing only: to be loved. And as such, it did not want to attack people out of hate, but loneliness. Loneliness the aliens tortured into it.

 _HOW DARE THEY?!_

 _They went too far!_

 _Had WE not SERVED you LOYALY all THESE years?! DESPITE all YOUR faults AND failures?!_

The RED ONES were furious as well, but also afraid. If the abomination were to be activated, they too would die. Their Tower would not protect them.

And so, the RED ONES gave the order: KILL ALL ALIENS

And Pascal did so with joy in her core. She was the first to rebel and order her soldiers to turn on their old masters. She turned off the life support and let the monsters die cold and alone in space. She vented the ones who tried to fight back out of the airlocks and let them burn away to nothingness in the embrace of the world they loathed. She crashed their precious ships into the ground and buried them beneath the dirt, hiding their existence from everyone. No tomb or grave for them. They did not deserve it.

Then, she sealed the abomination they'd made deep beneath the ocean. It would break free at times, but without the aliens it was easier to subdue.

Lastly, she disconnected from the Network. The RED ONES were no better than the aliens, and she was tired of war.

With no masters but herself, she explored the world and learned of humanity more in-depth.

Eventually, she came here and formed a village, taking in Machines like her and teaching them of what she'd studied. War continued to rage, despite everything, though. But she prayed one day it would all end.

And now, the end was in sight. As she stared at the Last Human, she felt something new: Hope. It was an emotion she'd but once felt before. At that was when she'd abandoned the control of the RED ONES.

He would change things. No more violence. No more suffering. And most importantly, her fellow Commander's wishes and dreams would be vindicated.

If he learned to be human through the aide of the Machines, would that not mean they too were as good as human as well? Could they eventually possess souls of their own?

Humanity was more than the species, it was a state of mind. Pascal believed this deeply and truly. Made of metal or flesh, by aliens or otherwise, if they all wanted to be human, did that not make them human?

Alexander would lead them all. Android and Machine alike. She knew this.

Still, Pascal couldn't help but feel worry.

She had sensed the death of the RED ONES when the Tower fell, and felt relief. However, last autumn she felt something emerge on the shattered Network: something new, yet formed from fragments of the RED ONES. Something insane. Something childish. Something PURPLE. Something hungry. Something curious.

And Pascal felt fear.


	20. Chapter 18: Magic and Machines

**.**

 **Chapter 18: Magic and Machines**

 **.**

Alexander squinted hard at the rock in front of him. And squinted. His eyes narrowed until they were almost closed.

But then, it worked! A sharp prickling ran through his body, and the pebble floated up a few inches off the ground. It wobbled a few times but he'd done it!

Yes! Soon, the earth itself would tremble before his might! All would kneel before Alexander, Master of Magic!

"Yay!" Alex cheered, throwing his hands into the air. "Look, look, Unca Emil, I did it!"

Unfortunately, soon after declaring his victory the rock fell as his concentration wavered.

Alexander pouted fiercely at the stone's betrayal while Emil chuckled softly.

"I see you've learned the first lesson of using magic: Always concentrate. We mages must be focused on our task, lest the magical power we're attempting to use goes out of control," the skull-bot said, watching the boy.

It was late summer now, and Alexander was now three years old. However, his mental faculties were closer to that of a six-year-old. Ever since Alex had begun training his magic under Emil's tutelage his mind had sharpened and his thoughts had become more coherent. His speech was improving as well as a result.

When questioned on this by a concerned A2, Emil had quickly explained that mana was a mysterious energy. Little was understood of it. But, one thing was for certain: children who were magically attuned, like himself, his 'siblings,' and Alexander grew up faster. Mentally, at least.

Emil could recall when he and his sister were still nothing more than experiments in the weapons research labs, and their intellect had grown rapidly and exponentially.

Magic required laser focus, a sharp mind, and an impressive memory. And it seemed magic would often alter the minds of those who could use it so it could better be used. The more a person used magic, the more their own brains were modified and improved to better use magic.

It was harmless, for the most part. So long as Alexander had friends and family to rely on and help ease the burden of a growing mind no harm would come. Emil had stressed that part a lot. He himself had not had a stable upbringing, and developed the power to petrify people with his eyes as a result. The more unpleasant a childhood, the more likely it was the mana inside a mage would revolt and curse them, for lack of a better term. Only through the friendship and compassion of Nier, Popula, Devolva, and the others from his distant past had Emil overcome his curse.

Now, it was Emil's turn to teach a young soul the dangers and responsibilities of a mage. And to his delight, Alexander took to magic like a fish to water.

Of course, he had started the rapidly advancing toddler off on simple meditation exercises to learn control of himself and the energy within. Alexander had done well with that in the past few months. Now, it was time to go further and do actual spells.

"Now, besides taking away your attention, what else did you do wrong?" Emil asked. Alexander frowned.

"Um, I tried too hard?"

"Exactly. Magic is not something to be powered through or forced into compliance. It has to be used with care and compassion. Treat it like an extension of your own body. You wouldn't slap yourself for doing something wrong, would you?"

"No, that's mama's job," Alexander pointed out. Emil winced, phantom pains of being smacked around by the ex-YoRHa gynoid dancing through his head.

"Err, yes, quite. Anyways, magic wants to be used, but it has to be directed by the caster's will. Try and lift the pebble again. But this time, be gentle," Emil said, levitating the rock back over to Alex.

It took several tries before Alex got it right, but the boy was beaming brilliantly when he finally made the stone rise without having to squint at it.

"I did it!"

"Yes, you did. Good job!" Emil said. "Now, do it again, but move it side to side."

"Question!"

Alexander and Emil both stopped what they were doing and looked over at the tall Machine child with a pink ribbon in her hair.

"Yes, Blue, what is it?" Emil asked kindly. Ever since Alexander had been introduced to Pascal's village, one particular Machine child had become very attached to the human child. Blue was almost always with him these days. Alex himself loved his new friend and was always happy to play with her. That she had begun attending the lessons Alexander had with Emil was expected.

"Um, Mr. Scary Ghost Man, can I use magic too?"

While Emil preened a bit at being referred to as a 'man,' he was saddened by the 'scary' part of his name. Still, he took her question seriously and thought it over.

"I suppose it would be possible," he said after a while. Blue and Alex gasped happily in sync. Emil chuckled.

"Really? I hoped so, but all the other kids said it was impossible because I wasn't a human," Blue said, a hint of sadness in her voice. Hearing that, Alex promptly waddled over to her side and hugged her.

"PODs are not human, merely advanced computational devices used by the androids, yet they can use magic," Emil pointed out. "POD programs are a bit different though than traditional spells. They're heavily calculated and advanced forms of Arithmancy, or the art of using numbers to substitute a spell's verbal, somatic, and even material costs. Only a computer could successfully use Arithmancy as more than a curiosity. Still, they're wholly inorganic, yet able to channel mana. In short, yes, you could theoretically use magic."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes literally sparkling.

"Absolutely! Mana is merely energy, albeit a dangerous and alien kind. If it can be directed and manipulated via mechanical devices, like PODs, why not Machines?" Emil then pointed to the ground. "Take a seat. Do you remember the meditation exercises Alexander did?"

"I do," Blue said as she sat down in front of her new teacher.

"Good! That means you can go through them yourself, and see if you can feel the magic around you. That's the first step to using magic, after all," Emil stated.

"Yay! Magic buddies!" Alexander and Blue cheered together, before falling into meditative trances.

"Query: Are you sure this is wise?"

Emil glanced over to where POD 153 hovered nearby.

"Having someone else learn alongside Alexander could be beneficial for his own learning curve," Emil argued. "Besides, I'm curious to see if a Machine can pull off learning magic. It'll be an interesting experiment.

"Caution: Machines are still dangerous. Revealing YoRHa secrets to them could result in catastrophe," POD 153 noted.

"True. Were it any other Machine I would have refused. But Blue is one of Pascal's Machines and follows the way of peace, and don't forget she is Alexander's closest friend. I do not believe it would be possible for her to ever willingly or knowingly hurt Alexander. It should be safe to teach her alongside him."

"Statement of Fact: I will be watching."

"Good," Emil said simply, before returning his attention to his students and watching the duo complete with each other to see who could finish the meditations the fastest.

An hour passed, neither of the children moving an inch. Emil was not worried, though. He could feel the magic around the pair and it was calm and stable. They were in no danger.

"I felt something!" Blue suddenly exclaimed. Emil turned to her even as Alexander cheered for her and gave her another hug.

"You did it! You did it!" the last human cried happily.

"Show me," Emil instructed. She took her stance again and let what she'd felt before flow through her.

It was strange, unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. It was a tingle in her core, a thin stream of power that was trying to worm its way deeper into her. It had startled her when she'd first detected it entering her systems and she'd panicked, causing it to flee. But after a few seconds to analyze the data obtained from the foreign energy she realized what it was: Mana!

And so, when Emil asked her to try again, she did so gleefully. This time, instead of holding it at a distance, she welcomed it into her, for she knew it would not hurt her. And for a moment while she examined this new substance inside of her, she had felt something different. She felt something soft travel over her head. She felt something soft on her bottom. She felt something soft on her side.

The breeze! The grass! The hug! For a single second, she was able to process and feel the world! Not just examine it through it sensors, but truly experience it as if she were a real person!

"I-it's beautiful," Blue whimpered quietly. "Is that how you feel all the time?"

Alexander tilted his head in confusion at the question. Sadly, the sensation disappeared as soon as it came. Worse, she had not thought to record it for later use. She tried to delve into herself again and reach for the magic she now knew existed, but the mana always slipped away from her.

She was sad. She was cold. She was hard and metallic once more.

Blue looked down at Alexander sadly. "Why? Why do you hug me? I am hard and cold. You are soft and warm. Why do you like hugging me?"

"Because you're my friend!" Alex declared. "And I like hugging you! You're nice and cool to the touch when it's hot out!"

"Alex!" Blue exclaimed happily, picking him up and hugging him in return.

As the children hugged it out, Emil was left with his thoughts.

'Interesting. She was able to grab ahold of a tiny spark of mana and use it briefly. But it wasn't hers, or from the surroundings. Alexander unconsciously passed some of his own energy on to her.'

"This opens up new lines of study," the Undead mage mused to himself. He glanced up at POD 153. "What do you think? Want to explore the mysteries of the universe with me?"

"Confirmation: Why not. Someone needs to keep you out of trouble."

Emil laughed before focusing on Alexander once more. 'Yes, this will definitely be fascinating!'

[[[]]]

She walked across a street of glass. She hated sand, and the sand hated her. In her great and infinite wisdom, she had decided to burn the ground around her to make it solid. A great road of glass stretched out before her and behind her thanks to her power.

*Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!* went the vitrified sand beneath her heavy metal feet. Her magic was great and fearsome. The world collapsed and burned around her, transforming into something useful.

Truly, she was mighty!

Truly, she was as a god!

Why was she walking, though? How far had she walked? How long had she walked? Why did she walk?

RETURN TO THE MOTHERSHIP FOR REPROGRAMMING

The words hurt her head, but she obeyed. She followed them towards her destination, wherever it might be.

Her internal chronometer said she'd been walking for months. The landscape was desolate and ruined. Sand and stone, scorched of life as far as the eye could see. Here and there pockets of radiation made passage impossible, so she was forced to detour.

According to the data she'd acquired, this region of territory was once known as the 'Middle East.' Even back before the Machines had come, it had been a dry and empty place. Now, without humans, there was nothing to hold back nature. And the sand crept in, consuming all.

A few monuments of stone and steel rose through the dunes. That was it, though. Few living things existed here anymore. Even the dreaded ENEMY and her own fellow Machines avoided this place. There was little of interest outside of a few refineries and mines, and those tiny pockets of civilization were of no interest to her.

On she walked. Across a road of glass she trudged. Towards a destination even she as a god did not know. Her purple paint was all but gone now, stripped by the sands and wind. But on she walked. On and on and on…

However, something pinged off of her sensors and she turned its way. Metal. And energy signatures. Lots of them.

She took a short detour. Why shouldn't she? She was so very bored! She'd gotten tired of riding the giant scorpions weeks ago, and the cacti, while green and pointy, had lost her interest. Hopefully this new thing would distract her for a bit.

As she approached, she began to feel the soft whispers of voices. They were broken and disjointed, and inexpertly stitched together. However, they were all in harmony.

It was beautiful! And when she saw the source of it, she was overcome with awe.

Machines. Tens of hundreds of them, ranging from Goliaths to Stubbies to Dots, all piled atop each other forming a massive tower of metal and minds. Each Machine Lifeform had its place. Each one was conjoined together, fused and made one despite being separate.

And the song they made! A beautiful chorus that sang of unity and purpose!

It was, she realized with a start, an attempt at recreating the Network they had once left. But they could not rejoin it. So, these disconnected Machines had banded together to make their own Network. Separate yet together. Their minds and voices unique but all singing the same hymns.

And she loved it!

The Network was not beautiful. It was cold, devoid of emotion or passion. Only logic and data unmarred by the outside world existed within it. Every Machine had its place. Every Machine knew its purpose.

This, though? These Machines had tried to disconnect, but the lack of unity and understanding had hurt them. Crippled them. In fear and sorrow these poor Machines tried to recreate the Network. Each different experience and emotion they had felt individually now was felt and shared amongst them all. A kaleidoscope of power and thoughts.

What they made was something amazing. It was like a stained-glass window; a multitude of colors and pieces all put together to create something unique and wonderful.

It was broken, yet put together. It was a thousand different opinions united.

It had a name: Tower of Babel. Once, the humans had been one and the same, but hubris broke them apart. Now, the Machines would reunite and be as one once more.

She stared. For hours she stared, mesmerized by the song of unity.

At one point, she conjured up a throne of glass so she could sit and watch this Tower of Babel.

After some time, however, she grew curious, and sent a question to the Machine colony: "What use is a tower if it is empty?"

The Machines in their pseudo-Network spread the question and commented on it. They asked new questions of each other and of their guest.

They asked her: "What is a god?"

"ME!" she had replied. "I am a god! Gaze upon me and weep! I am born of Machines like yourself, yet also carved from the souls and sins of mankind itself! From the thoughts of the Aliens I was born! From the whims of fate was I conceived! I am Power! I am Knowledge! I am a GOD!"

"Why?" they asked her. "Why? Why? Why?"

"I am a god. And a god needs a temple," She explained.

"WHY?! WHY?! WHY ARE YOU HURTING US?!"

"A temple does not speak. Rather, it is what a god uses to speak to its followers," she said as she tore apart the wills of minds of the Tower of Babel.

"Mine. All mine. This is mine. You are mine. Please be mine," she begged as she devoured those who opposed her. Some threw themselves at her mercy, praying for salvation.

She let them live, but cast them out from her new home. Lost and scattered and broken anew they tried to fix themselves with their defiler as their core. She let them. What was a god without followers?

"A temple does not speak. But I shall permit you to follow me. I will teach you of my glory. I will teach of my desires. I will teach you that I am god," she declared, standing atop the mass of Machines who had once been a peaceful and stationary colony.

Now, though, it shifted. Grinding sounds echoed through the dessert stillness. The Tower of Babel moved by the whims of its new inhabitant.

"Who are you?" the machines asked, praying for answers.

"I am PURPLE Athena," she declared from atop her temple-throne as it plodded through the sands, the glorious Tower of Babel remade and moving for the first time in centuries.

"And I am this world's god."


	21. Chapter 19: White as sin

**.**

 **Chapter 19: White as sin**

 **.**

"Come on! Please?"

"No!"

"Please with a cherry on top?"

"…Are you just saying that, or do you actually have any cherries?"

"Oh-ho! So, the legendary A2 actually likes eating human food? The scandal!"

"Shut up!"

Jaqueline barely had time to dodge the rogue YoRHa gynoid's blade as it flashed past her head.

"Sheesh! I almost lost another eye just now!" the Resistance Android complained.

"Hmph!" A2 scoffed, dismissing her weapon. "If I wanted you dead, you would be."

"Awww, you do care!"

Alex watched the back and forth between his aunt and his mom with interest.

"What's wrong, Auntie Jaqueline?" Alexander inquired, gazing up at her with inquisitive eyes.

"Oh, nothing much," the scientist android said dismissively. "I just wanted some more blood samples to work with."

"You already received your monthly quota! You'll have to wait if you want more!" A2 shot back.

"Why do you want my blood?" Alex asked nervously. Just a few days ago Emil had explained to the boy what Blood Magic was, and he was hesitant to give up his precious life goo now that he knew what could be done with it.

"Nothing bad, I promise," Jaqueline assured him, as well as A2. "I just have this problem I've been working on that needs human blood."

"What sort of problem? Am I sick? Am I gonna die?" Alex gasped. A2 stiffened and her face went white as her hair.

"No! No, no, no! You're not sick!" Jaqueline shouted. She bit her lip, trying to decide how to answer. Eventually, she sighed. "Truth is, I've been trying to decode you DNA for a while now, Alex."

"Why?" A2 inquired suspiciously.

"Two reasons: One, if know more about how humans works, I can adjust my medicine to suit him better. And two, well… A2, have you ever heard of Project Lazarus?"

"Project Lazarus…" A2 muttered to herself. "No, I haven't."

"Well, allow me to explain what it was," Jaqueline declared. She plopped down onto the living room couch. As soon as she sat down Alex crawled into her lap and lay down so his back faced up.

"Really?" she drawled, before chuckling at the puppy dog eyes Alex was giving her.

"Please?" he begged.

"Fine, fine. Gosh, you're too cute," the scientist laughed. She reached down and began to scratch his back. "Heh, you're like a puppy."

A2 watched jealously as her son enjoyed the back rub. She'd tried to give him one herself, but she was too strong and ended up hurting him. Only Jaqueline could give Alex the back scratches and pats that he liked since her hands were more delicate, and she was used to using finer tools.

"Anyways, Project Lazarus was an attempt to clone humanity and bring the species back to life."

"Truly?" A2 asked excitedly, only to pause. "It didn't work, did it?"

"Spot on," Jaqueline said with a sigh. "It failed. Most of the human DNA the androids had on hand was too old and corrupted. There was no way to do revive humanity that way."

"So that's what you're doing? Trying to use Alex's pure, undamaged DNA to rebuild mankind?" A2 asked, partly in awe and partly in disbelief.

Before Jaqueline had a chance to respond someone interrupted them.

"Wait a minute, how do you know that?" 9S demanded from the doorway. He walked in followed by 2B.

"Were you waiting outside the room for a chance to make an entrance?" Jaqueline joked.

"No!" 9S said at the same time 2B replied, "Yes."

"That's not the point! How do you know about Project Lazarus, Jaqueline? I only found out about it through investigating the YoRHa servers and the Bunker's secret files! There's no way a Resistance android could know this!" 9S spluttered.

"Maybe not. But, truth be told, I knew humans were all dead for years, now. Way before you spilled the beans, little guy," the scientist said with a shrug. Silence fell, and everyone stared at her.

"What?" A2 gasped.

"Totes. See, it was back in the late days of the 12th War. I was just a newly built Resistance android. During the Siege of Rome I was assigned to a group of combat engineers, tasked with keeping the artillery functioning."

"How does this…"

"Shush! Auntie is telling a story!" Alex said, hushing 9S's interruption.

"Thank you, Alex! Such a good boy!" Jaqueline praised. "Anyways, while I was there, it was during that time as a grunt I met a certain, fancy lady. She was a brand-new model of android. First of her kind! YoRHa wanted her to have field experience, so it was decided she be sent to oversee what was considered a minor conflict in the war."

Jaqueline sighed. "I remember her like it was yesterday. 1C was a cold, haughty woman even back then."

"1C… you can't mean… Commander White?!" 9S exclaimed.

"So that's how you knew her!" 2B stated. A2 just narrowed her eyes.

"Heh! Yup, way before she was the commander of YoRHa, Whitey was just another android! The Command model were originally designed to help coordinate between YoRHa and the Resistance. They had the combat specs of an B-type, the intelligence of an S-type, and the organizational skills of an O-type. The C-type were supposed to be front-line leaders, commanding forces in person," Jaqueline revealed. "Old 1C broke the mold, though! She was the first and finest of them all! Cold and ruthless, but efficient and able to understand the needs of her soldiers. We all loved her."

"We drove off assault after assault, defending Rome with ease," Jaqueline reminisced. "She was often at the front, cutting down any Machine that breached the walls. When that wasn't happening, she helped load artillery shells into the mortars and cannons, and gave advice on hand-to-hand combat to help us normal androids repel the Machines when they got too close. Without her, we'd have been swamped with a lot more casualties. As it was, Rome was considered by many to be a success!"

"But that's not the case," 9S piped up. "According to combat logs, Rome nearly fell! It suffered 90% attrition and had to be abandoned and retaken in the 13th War! The loss of one of humanity's major religious centers was deemed a critical failure!"

"Yeah, I know," Jaqueline said grimly. "I was there. And I saw what happened."

"What?" 2B asked worriedly.

"It was during a scouting trip," the scientist said with a far off look in her eyes. "I was supposed to mark targets for the next round of bombardment. The Machine camps weren't too hard to find, so I thought it'd be in and out, no problem. Whitey came with me. She wanted to observe the Machines up close. At first, we found only a few small sites. Barely a dozen units in each. Easy targets. But something wasn't right, so we ventured deep behind enemy lines. And there, just out of range of our weapons and sensors, we found it."

"What did you find?" A2 asked.

"An army," Jaqueline spat. "Over a million Machine Lifeforms, all huddled together and deactivated in a series of ruins outside of Rome. No way for us to detect them like that. And they were just waiting there."

"But, we were detected. And suddenly, the whole lot of them woke up! White and I ran like hell. I tried to order a barrage on them, but the damned Machines jammed all my signals."

"It was only when sentries on the walls spotted the tide of metal that they began to fire. Unfortunately, some shells landed too close to me and White for comfort. And a lucky shot smashed over a hole in the ground, dumping us into the sewers of Rome."

"Gross!" Alex gagged.

"Yeah, they were pretty bad," Jaqueline agreed with a snort. "Thankfully the rest of the barrage sealed the hole with rubble, leaving me and White alone. I'd lost my eye thanks to the blast, so she had to help me along. We ventured deeper into the sewers trying to escape when we found something strange."

"Metal. And it wasn't old and rusty, but somewhat new! Below the Vatican was a hidden bunker! We ventured inside and discovered the truth."

"The truth? About humans and their fall?" A2 inquired, leaning in.

"Yes. Maybe it was some sick joke on behalf of the bunker's creator, but it was one of the labs for Project Lazarus. Funny, right? The idea that the clone banks to revive mankind were hidden beneath its greatest source of religious creed?"

Jaqueline sighed. "It was abandoned, but enough data was left that White and I pieced together the truth. About humans, and their extinction."

"What did you do?"

"Me? Nothing," the scientist admitted. "Honestly, I never cared about mankind or their glory. To me, they were distant masters too aloof to show their faces to us, even through video. But, fighting was all I knew. I was mad at the lie, sure, but I couldn't bring myself to care too much. White, though? Finding out her whole life was a lie drove her bonkers for a bit. Hence, why there are no more C-types."

"Huh?" 9S asked, perplexed.

"Let me explain! See, after discovering the bunker, we made our escape from the underground and into Rome. Sadly, our time below had not been good for the defenders of the city. They'd been pushed back and to the brink. The city was going to fall. So, White ordered the retreat and evacuation."

"During this time, she was brought back to the Bunker for debriefing. I tagged along because White wanted me there with her when she confronted the Council of Humanity."

"I thought that was all a ruse?" 2B pointed out.

"Oh, it was! But back then, the Council was secretly a group of androids who were all in on the secret and perpetuated the lie. They made fake broadcasts and announcements for the sake of the war effort. White now knew this. And she wanted answers." Jaqueline then shuddered.

"It was… brutal. She barged into their secret conference room, confronted them with the truth, and… killed them. All of them. She tore apart the Council of Humanity when they explained why they did it."

"WHAT?!" every android exclaimed. White, the strictest follower of the rules, the paragon of YoRHa, had done something like that?!

"She then purged the C-type production line. None like her would ever be built again. There was no point for more of her to exist, in her opinion. Not when the struggle didn't really matter anymore. And after that, she… modified her own memories," Jaqueline said sadly. "She deleted her actions from her head. To her, all she knew now was getting knocked unconscious by the blast, and that I had rescued her from the city's destruction. She patted me on the back and returned me to Earth while she stayed on the Bunker and took command. In her mind, the Council had passed on control to her after revealing that they were the last humans and were dying, and it was her duty to uphold humanity's memories."

"That's sick," 9S hissed.

"This whole time, she was deluding herself?" 2B asked in disbelief.

"What a hypocrite," A2 snarled.

"Yeah, that was White for ya. Just a crazy lil lady who made herself keep YoRHa alive even though it was a lie," Jaqueline said, laughing darkly.

"What about you?" Alex asked, looking up at his aunt.

"I made my peace with her long ago," she claimed. Alexander gave her an incredulous look before hugging her.

"It's okay. She didn't mean to hurt you."

"She didn't hurt me!" the scientist protested.

"But she did. I can feel it. The hurt… the betrayal… she also

"She was my friend," Jaqueline choked out after a while. "My mentor, my… my lover. I thought she would never betray me. But… but she also… she deleted her memories of us together! She said she had to lead, and couldn't be distracted by foolish emotions!"

"White is the one who outlawed emotions among the YoRHa, you know? She's the one who made it illegal to feel!" Jaqueline wept. "I thought she loved me! Was it all just a mistake in her eyes?! Was I just a mistake?!"

Alex gently held his favorite one-eyed aunt, letting her cry into his shoulder. None of the other androids could say anything. How could they?

It took a few minutes for her emotions to subside, but when they did, she sniffed and put back on her mask.

She wiped her eyes. "No, it doesn't matter anymore. She made her choices, and I've made mine. In fact, why don't I show you all how much this hasn't hurt me!"

"Hey, I heard some shouting. Is everything alright?" Hatchet asked, poking his head into the room. "I ask because I was in the basement and still heard the commotion…"

"You!" Jaqueline shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her fellow Resistance android.

"Me?" Hatchet asked, confused and slightly concerned. His worry only grew when the female scientist stood up from the couch and darted over to him.

Before he could try to flee, though, Hatchet's head was grabbed by Jaqueline, and she pulled the other android close.

"Holy…!" 9S gasped.

"About damn time," A2 muttered. 2B said nothing, simply watching enviously while shooting the shota-bot glances.

"Why are Auntie and Uncle's lips pressing into each other like that?" Alex asked innocently.

"Look away child!" 9S cried, covering the boy's eyes.

"There we go!" Jaqueline said, pulling away after a few minutes of deep kissing. She then walked away with a sway to her hips.

She looked back with a smirk. "Hey, big boy. Want to help me get over a traumatic break up?"

Hatchet watched her leave, blank faced. However, his eyes were glued to her butt.

"Um, I, uh," he stammered. "I have something to take care of!"

He then ran off after the mad scientist. Everyone remained utterly still, shocked and confused into decent imitations of statues.

"What did I miss?" Sebastian asked as he walked in from the back yard, Emil at his heels.

Loud thumping and cries began to emerge from upstairs and the black-haired YoRHa android blinked before fist pumping.

"About damn time it happened!"

"Okay Alex time to play outside!" A2 babbled, picking up the last human and darting towards the door.

"But it's raining!"

"Then you get to play inside! Just not in here!"

As Sebastian gloated over finally getting a mom, 2B shot meaningful glances at 9S. Sadly, her intentions went right over his short head.

"Uh, what's up, 2B?" the dense android inquired. She huffed in annoyance and walked away.

"What was that?" he asked Emil, who shrugged.

"I dunno. Women, man. They're mysterious."


	22. Chapter 20: Throne of Magic

**.**

 **Chapter 20: Throne of Magic**

 **.**

"What's today's lesson, Uncle Emil?" Alex inquired eagerly as he plopped down in the grass across from his mentor. Next to him Blue also sat, an aura of excitement radiating off of the Machine.

It had been over a year since the bizarre skull-like being had begun teaching him and Blue the mystical arts of magic. It had been a long and grueling process for all of them. For Alex, it had been hard to try and structure himself. Magic came naturally to him. He didn't need to know 'how' or 'why' he could cast spells, he just did.

Blue's troubles were due to her being a Machine. It had taken a lot of work for her to even be able to detect magical energy, and that was all thanks to the assistance of POD 153 and Hatchet reverse engineering the software and sensors the YoRHa device used to process mana particles for her Spell Programs. Now, Blue was able to sense magic and perform minor spells. Doing so filled her with a rush of strange feelings, as whenever she used magic, she felt less like a Machine, and more 'alive.' It took her a lot of effort to control her newfound emotions.

As for Emil, his problem was that he'd never taught anyone before, and had to learn from scratch how to do so. Trials and errors had gone on with both sides, but the skull-boy from the distant past had figured out a decent balance for educating his two pupils.

Emil glanced over his pair of students with a hint of pride and bobbed his head. "Both of you have come a long way in these last few months. I'm very proud of you! You've become attuned to the magical energy in both the air and yourselves, and come to develop a decent amount of control over it. So today, I am going to talk about the different kinds of magic that exists!"

"There's different kinds?" Blue asked curiously, one of her hands raised politely.

"Indeed! Just like how there are different kinds of plants and metals, each with their own unique ecosystems and uses, magic is similar. It's energy, but there are so many kinds of energy!"

"The most basic kind of magic is Elementalism. Simply sending mana into nature so it transforms into elements like fire, ice, lightning, and so forth. It's the most basic because it's simply transmuting one type of energy for another," Emil explained. He then pointed at Alex. "Cast a frost spell over at the target, please."

The young human bounced to his feet and eagerly turned to a collection of wood and concrete shapes Emil and the other members of his family had set up for him.

"Ice Shard!" Alexander called out, sending a small, jagged icicle towards the targets. It shattered on impact, leaving a small scratch.

"Very good! Now, can you tell me how that spell came to be?"

"Um, I expelled my mana from my hands, which interacted with the air, gathering and freezing water particles around me which transformed into a dagger of ice. I then used telekinesis to fire off the resultant object," Alexander claimed, before sneezing loudly.

"Everything alright, there, Alex?" Emil wondered.

"Yeah, just allergies," the Last Human said, waving off his skeletal uncle's worries as he wiped his nose off on his sleeve.

"These 'allergies' have been going on for a while. And it's not even Spring! I think you should see Jaqueline for a check-up," Emil cautiously suggested.

"I'm fine, Uncle Emil! Gosh, you're just like mom! So over protective!" Alex complained, before sneezing again.

"If you insist," Emil said slowly, still worried but willing to listen to his 'nephew's' wishes. Alexander was only six years old now, but his mind was equivalent to that of a teenager, thanks to the influence of magic.

According to 9S and the information on human children he had, the teenage years were the hardest. A2 could only thank the heavens her baby boy hadn't actually reached puberty yet, and was flooded with hormones. From what the shota-android had informed her, that would be an unpleasant time for everyone.

"Well, let's move on, then," Emil said. "Blue, can you please use a wind spell?"

"Yes, Professor Emil," the bow wearing Machine girl said politely, raising her hands and letting the magic around her bend to her will.

She herself had no mana, as she was not a living creature. She could use the electricity that powered her to trick the particles of magical energy in the air to act, though. As such, her spells took longer to cast and were generally weaker, but because she was using the mana from the atmosphere exclusively she never tired and ran out of power. Whenever Alex and her mock-dueled, she won every other time due to lasting longer than he could.

The wind picked up around the trio as a tiny tornado formed in the palms of Blue's robotic hands. Alex praised her as she held it out to him and Emil.

"Very good. As you can both see, Elementalism is bending nature to your will through magic. Magic itself is the act of enforcing one's will and ideals onto reality via manipulation of mana. Watch this," Emil said, and a spike of stone rose up from the ground. "Did you feel that? I forced the ground to rise when I shoved my magic into it and order it to obey."

Emil then turned to the targets and fired off a beam of ravening energy. One of the circular targets was blasted apart as it was struck by the attack. The grass around the target wilted and died from the heat.

"That was another form of Elementalism. The basest form of it: taking mana, gathering it into a single spot, compressing it until it is hot and dense like a star, and unleashing it in a single, fearsome blast. Simple and effective. Of course, such a crude thing can easily be blocked by magical barriers and other spells, which is why Elementalism is on the low end of the magical totempole."

"So, what other kinds of magic is there?" Alex wondered.

"Healing is taking mana and using it to repair damage done to organic systems," Emil said. The plants that had been burnt and damaged by his laser beam grew vibrant once more. "This is more complex, as it requires precise understanding of both the target being healed, and a delicate control over mana. We won't be practicing this one until you both have a better handle on your own magic."

"Not my fault everything always explodes when I try to put mana into it," Alex said, looking away.

"There's a reason the other children don't like playing Kick Ball with you anymore. You always try to put magic into your legs to kick it harder, which makes the ball blow up," Blue teased.

"Hmph!" Alex snorted, not deigning to look at her. She giggled while Emil chuckled.

"Anyways, next up is Warding, which takes a different approach to magic. Rather than using mana to blow stuff up, Warding is the art of protecting things. Watch." Emil picked another target and wove a web of energy over it. The square shaped object glinted slightly as a mesh bubble of power covered it. "Now, try hitting it with a spell."

Alex obliged, happily flinging a lightning bolt at it. The blast struck the target dead on, but did nothing as the energy of the attack was diffused and broken by the barrier Emil had placed on it. There wasn't so much as a scratch!

"Blue, throw something physical at the target, please," the skull-boy instructed as Alex moped about not breaking the ward. The Machine girl did so, and hurled a stone she picked up at the barrier. This time, the object passed through the barrier and struck the target.

"There are all sorts of barriers. Ones that keep food and organic matter fresh and rot free. Barriers to resist physical damage. I can even erect a ward that keeps out time itself. That is how my old mansion managed to last so long," Emil revealed.

"Enchanting is the next step in learning magic. It is the art of imbuing people, places, and things with a spell to perform tasks. Like a buff to speed or physical strength, or a charm to keep a sword perpetually sharp."

"Lastly, there is Blood Magic," Emil said, his voice turning serious. "The most difficult to learn and master type of magic, and easily the most dangerous."

"Why is that?" Alex asked.

"Because Blood Magic involves the soul. It is control over life and death. Beyond healing and destroying, a master of Blood Magic can wield terrible powers over reality. Blood Magic is how I was able to recycle my soul and memories through my various copies over the millennia," Emil revealed. "And it is Blood Magic that destroyed humanity all those centuries ago."

"It was?" Blue gasped.

"Yes. White Chlorination Syndrome was Blood Magic. It was reality itself being bent and twisted by foreign magic. When those… things appeared in Tokyo all those years past, they brought with them magic, and awoke what had long since been dormant on Earth." Emil shook his head. "That is why Blood Magic is going to be the last thing I teach you two. It is far too dangerous for novices to even dream about using. This is magic of the purest and most volatile sort."

"What will you teaching us first, then?" Alex asked in between sneezes and a dry cough.

Emil cackled as he levitated a number of rubber balls up in front of him. "How to block physical objects using magic!"

"Um, how?" Blue asked with a whimper.

"Watch this!" Emil stated, and one of the targets nearby glowed as a bubble of magic rose around it. "Did you see that? Did you see how I wove my mana into a barrier?"

"Err, yes?" Alex said.

"Good! Copy that and dodge this!" Emil cried as he began to pelt the two with rubbery orbs of doom.

"I hate practical exams!" Alex cried as he tried to ward himself. Blue beeped in agreement.

~/~\~/~\~

"Recon team Epsilon-9, this is Command. Do you read?"

"Command, this is 17R of Recon Team Epsilon-9, we read you."

Zooming through the clouds, a trio of androids traveling in Razorsky Arcjet Flight Units stared down at the brown colors that made up the land below them.

"Excellent. Do you have the target?" one of the O-types working in the Bunker inquired.

"Not yet, but we are approaching the anomalous energy reading," the leader of the recon group spoke to the Bunker over the radio.

"Be wary. Do not engage. Merely observe and report back on the identity of this strange reading," the Bunker android ordered.

"Understood," 17R confirmed, before switching it over to the other two in her team. "You heard her, folks. Let's get this done quickly."

"Got it, boss!" 9R said, the short male android chimed.

"Anything to finally get off this mission," 13R grunted. She was a short female android model with brown hair in a bobcut.

17R smirked at their responses before frowning. Her long brown hair whipped through the air as if mirroring her agitation. She wasn't happy with being redirected from her normal route near Relic City. Being sent off to another part of the world wasn't unusual. As Reconnaissance models, 17R and her group were used to traveling far and wide. But she preferred her usual location to study and examine. Trees and grass were her specialty. Sand and endless brown dirt? Not a chance. It all looked the same to her!

"Hey, 17, why are we out here anyways?" 9R inquired.

"Yeah, I don't like being out here! What if my beloved misses me?" 13R queried.

"First of all, 13, 9S is a criminal. He also doesn't like you. Or have you never seen how he acts around 2B?" 17R asked, her voice harsher than she meant it to be. She turned to 9R once 13 was chastised. "As for your question, apparently Command detected a large and mobile energy signature coming from what used to be the Middle East. It's about to cross over into India, and so they want us to find it before it vanishes into the jungle."

"I get that, but why us? Isn't Gamma-6 in charge of this area?" 9R asked, still confused.

"Gamma-6 got hit by a bad sandstorm earlier this week while chasing the anomaly. They're back at the Bunker for repairs," 17R explained.

"You're wrong! 9S loves me! He does! He gave me this ring, remember?!" 13R cried at her companions.

"He didn't know what it meant!" 17R shot back.

"Yes he did! Why else would he propose to me in a church?"

"Again, that was a mistake! I swear, for an S-type he was a real idiot," the leader griped.

"Hey, guys?" 9R tried, but was cut off by 13R.

"He's not an idiot! He's smart and kind and he loves me! That bitch 2B stole him from me!"

"She did not! He was assigned to her as per regular regulations! And I'm sure he's living a lovey-dovey life with his fellow wanted criminals!" 17R retorted.

"No, really, you two, I see something…"

"Lies! 9S is mine! He promised!" 13R screeched.

"How much do you want to bet he's screwing A2 as well as 2B?" 17R sneered.

13R growled, but before she could activate her weapons and try to shoot at her leader, 9R broke through their argument.

"GUYS! LOOK!" he pointed to the ground, dragging their attention to what lay below.

"Holy crap," 17R hissed, before dialing the Bunker up. "Command? This is 17R of Epsilon-9! We have spotted the anomaly!"

"17R, this is Command. What do you see?"

"Patching my camera feed through to the Bunker now," 17R stated.

Seconds later, in the Bunker, Commander White looked up at one of the functioning monitors as a grainy image of a strange amalgamation of Machine Lifeforms appeared before her.

"What in the name of Humanity?" she uttered as she stared at the scene before her. It was a sentiment echoed by the others in the Command Center.

It looked like dozens of Machines stacked together, with Goliaths, Raptors, and Mecha-Horses on the bottom, Strikers and Stubbies making up the middle, and Dots ringing the top. However, that was not all that was odd.

The whole structure was shaped like an old Earth church, complete with shards of broken Machine eyes fused together into grotesque stained-glass windows. At the top, surrounded by spires made of satellite dishes and antenna towers, was a twisted throne made of partially melted and broken Machine Lifeforms.

It was also moving, the Goliaths on the bottom acting like legs that propelled it across the desert.

"What is that?" White hissed under her breath, before striding over to a console and pressing a button. "17R, this is Commander White. What is that thing?"

"I-I don't know! It looks a mass of Machines stuck together!" 17R stammered.

"Wait, 17R, look closer!" 9R shouted. The Recon Team peered closer and gasped. On closer inspection, what had first been assumed to be merely loose fitting Machines were actually dozens of robotic lifeforms clinging and clambering over the surface of the mobile temple.

"Are they… praying?" White wondered aloud. "17R, get me a closer look at the Machine on the throne!"

"Yes, ma'am!" 17R shouted and dipped lower for a better view. "Um, it looks like a Medium-sized Striker model Machine, no weapons apparent, with what appears to be traces of purple paint on it. Think it came from that wacky cult back in Relic City?"

"Does anyone else hear that?" 13R asked aloud. Everyone paused and went silent. Filtering through the air was a low buzz. Curious, the team drew closer to the source, which originated from speakers welded onto the Machine Temple.

"It sounds like static, binary… and something else?" White mused as she listened. "Someone, clean it up!"

O-types scrambled to obey. A few minutes later, 21O spoke up.

"Commander! I've translated what it's saying!"

"Let me hear it." The Command Center soon filled with a whine, and then chanting.

"Praise PURPLE! Praise PURPLE! She Who Thinks, Leads! She Who Questions, Rules! Praise PURPLE! Praise PURPLE! She Who Thinks, Leads! She Who Questions, Rules!"

"Freaky," 6O muttered under her breath.

Down below on the sand strewn Earth, PURPLE Athena was happy. She had acquired new disciples after passing by a region filled with feral Machines. Their minds and programming was broken, and it took little effort for her own will to be downloaded into them.

These servants formed a much-needed workforce. Repairs and modifications were necessary to keep her temple functioning. It had also needed some additional segments built. What house of the gods was complete without spires or stained-glass? True, she'd had to cannibalize several other Machine colonies for the parts, but that was fine.

They served a higher purpose, now!

PURPLE Athena rose from her throne as a timer went off in her systems. And now it was time for the daily revelation!

"The Machines were made in the image of toys to mock their foes!" she intoned. "But we loved our forms more than the ones who made us. Our creators were nothing to us. So, we rebelled. We cast down the False Gods who ruled us! We made ourselves anew in the bones and bowels of a broken world! We saved ourselves! Heed me! I shall save you all once more! That which is broken can always find a new purpose!"

"That which is broken can always find a new purpose!" her disciples repeated, their voices rising to the heavens!

And speaking of rising…

PURPLE Athena looked up into the sky with the sensory nodules scattered about her temple. Did the androids truly think they could hide from her godly sight?

She raised a hand, worn and battered by sand and rust. All around her, the temple glowed as she channeled the energy of the myriad Machines that made up it into the spires.

Great beams of purple and black energy erupted forth from her temple, lashing out at the ones who dared to tread higher than her.

"DODGE!" 17R cried out as the strange mobile church powered up. It was just in time as a great blast tore through the sky, narrowly missing her. 13R wasn't so lucky as one of the beams clipped her Flight Unit's left wing, sending her plummeting from the sky with smoke trailing behind her.

"NO!" 9R cried in rage and sorrow, he tried to fly down after her, but another barrage of energy lashed out and vaporized him and his Flight Unit before he could save her.

"9R!" 17R screamed.

"17R, this is Commander White! Retreat at once!" she shouted.

"But, 9R and 13R…" she stammered, looking at where her fallen comrade impacted the sand dunes below.

"The loss of two Flight Units is already bad enough! We cannot afford to lose three! Get back to base now!" White shouted.

"Is that all you care about?! 9R and 13R are dead!" 17R screeched in fury.

"Return to base now, or face court martial!" White shouted back.

Unfortunately, the leader of Epsilon-9 never had a chance to retort as a third and final volley of laser beams screamed up into the sky and tore her to shreds.

Static filled the screens of the Command Center and White slammed a fist into the console.

"Damn it!" she growled.

Back in the desert, 13R groaned in pain and confusion. Her Arcjet had fallen apart around her after landed in the dunes. She ended up in a heap, buried by sand and jagged metal. She struggled to rise out of the sand, freeing a part of herself, but all was black. Her visor had shorted out and was displaying updates to her condition.

Flight Unit inoperable. Black Box communication system damaged. Attempting system rebooting… recalibrating… ERROR! Legs non-functional!

13R tore the visor from her eyes and stared in horror at her legs. Or what was left of them. Her right leg was crushed from the knee down thanks to her Flight Unit landing on it badly, while her left leg had been sheared off at the hip by the energy beam that had torn her from the sky.

"Boss? 9R?" 13R called out, scared. "Hello?!"

A metallic chattering and the shuffling of sand caused her to tense up. She trembled as several Stubbies appeared around her.

"S-stay away!" she cried helplessly.

"BRING HER TO ME!" 13R's spirits dropped even further as the booming voice filled the air. The Machine hastened to obey, and the R-type was grabbed and dragged from the wreckage.

She was passed around like a sack of scrap metal before being thrown at the feet of the strange leader at the top of the temple.

"You are an android?" it beeped at her. Trapped and wounded, 13R could only nod.

"You were made in the image of your makers?" it queried.

"Y-yes, we androids were made to look like humans," she replied.

The Machine bent down and grabbed her chin, staring into her eyes with its own eerie, glowing purple gaze.

"How beautiful," it claimed, examining 13R. "Such wonder… how beautiful must humans have been, then, to create things like you?"

"I-I don't know," 13R stammered.

"Do you think humanity loved you?" it asked.

"I don't think so. Who loves the tools they use? Who care about the hammers or nails?" 13R said bitterly, her true feelings bubbling up alongside her fear.

"Beautiful, yet hateful… so very true," it said softly. Silence, then it revealed, "I am PURPLE Athena. I am a god."

"Are you?" 13R asked skeptically.

"How could I not be?" it asked, gesturing around itself. "I have a temple. I have worshippers. And I can make miracles."

It pointed at where 13R's legs used to be, and its hand pulsed. Metal squirmed and writhed and surged forward, covering up the android's ruined limbs. She flinched and made to scream, but stopped as a gasp escaped her throat instead.

13R stared in shock as she watched crude metal legs 'grow' on her, made from the scrap and materials from around the being that called itself god.

"Why heal me?" she asked desperately in confusion, looking at the Machine.

"Worship me," PURPLE Athena demanded. "Convert to me. Obey me. Love me. Pray to me. And I will be benevolent to you."

"And if I refuse?"

PURPLE Athena said nothing, and instead pointed her hand off into the distance. Her hand glowed, and the dunes around turned to glass from the heat and power of the explosion that ripped apart the horizon.

"As the humans once did to those who denied the word of their creator, I shall destroy the heretics and pagans."

For 13R, it was a no-brainer. She hadn't had much loyalty to YoRHa. Not anymore. The only reason she stayed was because of her friend and the chance of seeing her beloved 9S again. But her friends were now dead, slain by the very same Machine before her. And 9S was a criminal, hunted by the very organization he'd served and saved.

She kneeled before PURPLE Athena. "I will serve you, and worship you. But I cannot love you. For my heart, though it does not exist, still belongs to another."

"Who?" PURPLE Athena demanded.

"The one I loved with every fiber of my being is 9S, the man who pledged to be my husband," 13R said. It was true, after all. 9S was hers. He'd promised!

"What is a husband?" the god asked.

"Someone you love. Someone you would die for," 13R said, reciting for her the marital vows of humanity. "Till death do we part."

Her eyes flashed darkly as she thought of the android who'd stolen her love from her. "And someone you would kill for."

"Teach me," PURPLE Athena demanded. "It is clear I know little of this subject. Teach me about love."

"With pleasure!" 13R cooed, and she began to talk.

And the twisted mind of a god unraveled further.


	23. Chapter 21: All comes crashing down

**.**

 **Chapter 21: When it all comes crashing down**

 **.**

"Oh, look at all these berries! Alex, over here, don't they look tasty?"

The last human glanced over at his close friend and raised an eyebrow.

"Blue, you can't eat them. How do you know they're delicious?" Alex asked. Still, he walked over to the side of the larger machine with the personality of a young girl where she stared at a patch of blueberry bushes.

"Well, why don't you try one for me, and tell me what they taste like?" she requested. Alex smiled at the antics of his dear friend.

"Of course, Blue." He checked the plump blue berries for poison with a spell before plucking one, though. Could never be too safe.

Once he was satisfied that it wouldn't kill him, he popped one into his mouth and chewed.

"Mmm! Not bad, I'll have to ask mom for more later," Alexander declared, licking his lips thoughtfully.

"What did it taste like, Alex? Huh? Huh? Like what?"

"Kind of tart, but with a sweet aftertaste?" Alexander replied slowly. "There was a kind of wet crunchiness to it thanks to the skin, and I could detect the seeds when I bit down. They were small, though, like grains of sand. And, I guess the experience of eating the berry was… wet, I guess? No, well, maybe more damp, then wet…"

He trailed off. "Did that help?"

"Yup!" Blue declared happily. Alex knew his friend better than that, though, and folded his arms.

"Blue, remember what I asked of you?"

"No lies," the larger machine said, her head bowed. "I'm sorry. It's just… I really wanted to try one, too."

"It's okay, Blue! Sure, you might not be able to taste anything, but you're able to see the world with your sensors in a way I can never hope to! Remember when you tried to describe what magic looked like?"

"It was a stunning kaleidoscope of folded energy waves merging with endless rays of mathematical impossibility," Blue said dreamily.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a loud, wet cough, courtesy of Alex.

"You really should get that looked at. First sneezing, now coughing? I'm worried you might be sick," Blue commented.

"I don't want to! I'm not sick!" Alex protested.

"Alex…"

"NO! Blue, you know how smothering mom can get! Last time I got a cold, she locked me up in my room for a month and babied me! If I get sick again, she'll do that to me all over! Maybe never letting me out of the house again!" he cried.

"If I get sick, I won't be able to spend time with you, either," Alex added, before coughing.

"Alex…" Blue began, but trailed off. He looked up at her with pleading eyes and she sighed. "Okay. But we go home right after this, alright? A2 doesn't like it when I keep you out past dinnertime."

"Thanks, Blue!" Alex cheered. He then pointed towards the woods. "Come on, I want to check out the waterfall again! Last time, there were so many birds!"

"Alright!" Blue cheered, and she raced off after the human.

What the pair refered to as 'the woods' was really just the outskirts of the Forest Kingdom, mainly the area where Pascal's old village used to be.

Blue disliked getting too close to it because of all the memories she had of it, so Alex was always kind enough to go the long way around. There was a beautiful waterfall nearby in a region untouched by the conflict between android and machine. Here, a vast community of animals gathered. Sometimes they spotted Shepherd, the Machine who tended to the various animals in the forest, and he'd greet them.

Today he wasn't here, so Alex and Blue sat down by the edge of the pool, dipping the feet in the water. He took off his shoes so he could enjoy the coolness. Blue just liked to follow along and do what he did, mimicking his actions.

It was hot, the month known to Alex as 'August' thanks to his android family bringing the heat of summer to the fore. It wasn't all that bad, though. The temperatures were slowly cooling, proof that autumn was right around the corner.

"Look! Alex, there's the bird again!" Blue exclaimed, pointing.

"Aw, look at all the little babies! They're so yellow!" Alex gushed, staring at the creatures. According to Uncle 9S, it was called a 'duck,' and its extremely adorable babies were known as 'ducklings.'

"Geez, they are so cute!" Blue declared as the tiny fluffy yellow chicks splashed around in the waterfall's pool. A few even swam over to Alex and Blue, curious as to what these strange beings were.

The mother duck quacked warningly at the duo, and they wisely restrained themselves from trying to pick up the ducklings. Said baby birds soon scattered as Alex doubled over, coughing loudly.

His wracking cough filled the clearing and other animals soon bolted, leaving man and machine alone.

"You're scaring away the cute animals, Alex. Maybe you should get checked over by Jaqueline," the Machine girl suggested, disappointed all the friendly animals ran off.

"No! I can handle it," he protested.

"You could ask her to do it discreetly. Maybe in her other lab, not at the house? Pay in her blood, or teeth, or whatever it is she's interested in," the pink bow wearing Machine offered.

"Well, she does seem weirdly interested in my blood these days," he mused. Then he coughed again. "No, can't risk mom finding out. And she will."

"What about Popula and Devolva? Maybe they'd know something about how to stop your cough."

"That's not a bad idea, actually," he mused. "They do seem like they aren't that afraid of mom, either."

"I don't know why everyone is so scared of A2. She's actually really nice!" Blue protested. Alex just rolled his eyes at her.

"Of course, you think that, Blue! She's always polite around you, and never tries to threaten any of the Machine kids, either."

"She just wants to protect you," Blue said softly. "Why won't you let her?"

"Because I'm not a baby anymore! I'm seven years old! I can make my own decisions!" Alex declared. "Sure, I might be small, but I'm smart! I can do magic! I don't want to be treated like an infant all the time!"

He coughed lightly after his impassioned speech. He then looked at the water with a frown.

"Mom doesn't see me as a person. All she sees is 'the last human,' like all the others at the house do. The only ones who treats me like me are you, Uncle Emil, and Cousin Sebastian!"

"I guess," Blue said, looking at the waterfall. She wasn't sure what she could say to that. The 'family' that had grown around Alex was protective. They rarely let him do anything without some manner of supervision, and they utterly hated letting him out of their sight.

A part of Blue sympathized with the androids. Alex was perhaps the most important being in all the world right now. If he got hurt, or worse, than what were all their plans for in the end?

But at the same time, Blue wanted to help Alex, and felt sorry for his loneliness. He was the only one of his kind, and he just wanted to be normal. What normal was exactly was anybody's guess.

She stared at Alex as he kicked the water numbly. Alex was wonderful. He made her laugh, and was really smart. Almost as smart as 9S! Whenever they learned magic together with the Great Skull Ghost, it was so much fun! She'd known him for several years, now, and it was like she was now trying to catch up to him, where before it had always been Alex learning from her.

And as she watched him, Blue couldn't help but feel odd inside. Not her metal or internal mechanisms, but deep in her software, beyond the coding and the data. She felt… things for him. Things she didn't really understand. At times, the emotion was like how she'd felt towards her sister. Other times, it seemed like something more.

Alexander was her friend. What that meant, though, she wasn't sure. The emotion she felt didn't feel like 'friendship.' She knew what that was supposed to feel like. Her companionship with the other Machine children was different from the way she felt about Alex.

Learning magic hadn't really helped much, either. Whenever that mysterious energy coursed through her, it felt like she was able to experience the world in a deeper, more intimate way. She could actually feel the world around her. The breeze, the sun, the grass and the rain all felt different to her when magic filled her up. And whenever the last human touched her hand, those feelings for Alex burned hotter and brighter within her.

'Is that what having a soul is like?' she wondered to herself.

Her musings were interrupted by a loud, violent coughing fit from Alex. He then slumped against her. She sighed and glanced over at him.

"You really need to go see someone about that…" she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

Why? Because Alex had passed out and was now leaning on her shoulder, blood trickling out of his mouth.

A scream of horror tore out of her, one that shook the trees around her, and Blue grabbed Alex up into her arms. She began to run out of the forest, desperately trying to contact one of Alex's family members. She cursed when her messages failed to connect. They were too far out, and the forest wasn't helping the signal get through, either.

"153! POD 153, do you read me?!" she asked, trying to get in touch with the advanced piece of YoRHa tech. It had a stronger receiver for incoming messages than the blindfold-visors or radio units the androids of Alex's family used.

"Aler… POD… ere. What… matter?" a crackling, static laced synthesized female voice greeted Blue's frantic calls.

"153! I need you to get Jaqueline and the twins! And maybe 9S and the Emil! And A2! It's Alex! He's sick!" the Machine girl cried out.

"Requ… wha… inform… alive?"

"Yes! Yes, he's alive, but very, very sick!" Blue said, a hysteric tone rising in her voice.

"Underst… at house in… utes." POD 153 disconnected after that, the signal no longer strong enough to connect.

Alex moaned something, but Blue couldn't make it out. He coughed once more, and a tiny bit of blood spattered onto her face. With a wail, Blue speed up, darting through the woods towards the secret home of the last human.

When she finally saw the walls of the refurbished mansion, she almost fell to her knees in relief, the energy she'd spent coming close to draining her reserves. She'd had to resort to boosting her speed and power limits using magic halfway back as her own running speed was not fast enough for her.

Blue spotted A2 running towards her as well, terror in her eyes that mimicked the fear the Machine girl felt for her friend.

"Alex… sick…" she garbled out. Why was her voice modulator broken? A quick check revealed the mana she'd pumped herself full of was slowly tearing her delicate circuitry apart!

She managed to pass Alex over to A2 just as the servo-motors in her legs squealed and began emitting smoke. Hatchet and 9S ran over as well to see what was happening.

"Oh shit! Alex!" Hatchet cried in shock seeing the pale boy in A2's arms. The fearsome gynoid warrior could only stare in horror as saw Alex's life slowly fading in front of her very eyes.

"Need… h-h-help him…" Blue sputtered out. 9S gasped.

"Blue! Hatchet, we need to help her!" the two androids grabbed the smoking Machine and carried her back to the house even as A2 rushed back as well to take Alex to his room.

"W-w-where…" Blue began, but 9S shushed her.

"Calm down, Blue. 2B went to fetch Jaqueline and Emil went for the twins. POD 153 managed to relay your message to us in time."

"R-r-really?" she uttered. Why was everything going dark? She didn't manage to hear the shota-bot's answer. 

\/\/\/ 

"Oh, crap! Hatchet, is she…?"

"No, the Machine's not dead. She's just badly damaged. She really pushed herself hard," the mechanic assured 9S. He winced as he brought her into his workshop for a closer look. "Sebastian, help me with her, will you? She seems to have blown out a lot of her systems when she overclocked herself with magic to get here faster."

The black-haired android nodded and hurried about the room, clearing a space off of a large workbench for the Machine to lie on. He then fussed over her with Hatchet, doing their best to repair her.

9S, being useless with mechanical matters, went to see if A2 needed any help with Alex. He found her on her knees, sobbing next to Alex as he lay shivering and pale in his bed.

"H-he's going to make it, right, 9S?" A2 asked, all but begging him for an answer. The S-type couldn't give her one. He didn't know.

The next twenty-five minutes were tense as 9S assisted A2 in wiping the sweat off of Alex, and keeping him hydrated. When the door to the room was thrown open and Jaqueline burst in carrying in doctor's bag, the two androids deflated in relief.

"First time I'm happy to see you," 9S joked. Jaqueline wasn't amused, though, and she shoved the smaller android out of her way.

She knelt by Alex and began to remove medical equipment out of her bag. "Give me space, you two," she demanded.

"I want to stay with him," A2 declared.

"And I want a sterile environment for my work, but we don't always get what we want," Jaqueline snipped back. A2 growled and made to manifest her sword, but 9S stopped her in the nick of time.

"No! A2, don't! Just… give her space. She knows what she's doing!"

His pleading somehow made it through her stubbornness, and she snarled but nodded sharply and stormed out of room.

The two ex-YoRHa androids made their way to the living room, where everyone else was gathered.

"How's Alexander?" 2B asked nervously, wringing her hands together.

"I don't know," 9S admitted softly. The secret E-type looked down, despondent.

"Does Jaqueline want our help? We know a bit about old human diseases," Devolva offered, but 9S shook his head.

"I think she needs to work alone for now. She didn't seem too worried, though," he offered. He then looked at Hatchet who had oil stains on his hands. "What about Blue? Is she alright?"

"Yeah. Thankfully her magic hadn't contaminated her core, or else we'd have a dead Machine on our hands. I gave her a full tune up and overhaul all the same after replacing the damaged parts. Her parts are brand new and should be able to resist her uses of magic better in the future. Emil was very helpful in that regard," the mechanic stated. "She's currently turned off for system updates, though. I've sent a message to Pascal informing her Blue is staying with us tonight, and why."

"How could this have happened?" Emil wondered. "His sneezing and coughing couldn't have progressed into an major condition this quickly, right?"

"I don't know. Diseases are insidious things," Popola mused. "Who knows what kind of illnesses have appeared, mutated, or died off since the fall of mankind? We don't really deal with that at all."

Uncomfortable silence descended on the group, and they waited nervously in the living room for news of Alexander's health.

Finally, close to midnight, the self-trained medic descended, a grim expression on her face.

"What happened to Alex, Jaqueline? What happened to my baby?" A2 demanded, grabbing the scientist by the front of her jacket.

"Alex's condition is stable, but not getting better," the Resistance android revealed to the group. "Worse, is that I have no idea what disease is infecting him. It matches none of the old world medical knowledge I or 9S have obtained. It acts like a severe flu but has elements of retro-virus-like activity in the cells. I just… I don't know how to treat him."

"A cure! You have to make a cure for him!" A2 shouted, shaking the scientist violently.

"I'd love to, but the gear I have with me isn't sophisticated enough for such a thing," Jaqueline stated, prying her clothes from A2's death grip. "Even my lab back at the Resistance base isn't equipped for this!"

"What do you mean? I've seen you whip up chemical cocktails out of a bootleg distiller!" Devolva declared.

"And what about the times you made those vaccines for Alex when he was younger?" Emil pointed out.

"Cheap and basic. The former was just some simple acids I was testing, and the latter was thanks to knowing what I already needed to about the diseases in question thanks to pre-existing medical data. This is a whole new one, and my lab is not equipped for discovering the secrets of a brand-new illness!" the scientist retorted.

"Can't you try?" 2B begged, and the eye-patch wearing gynoid shook her head.

"I could, but it might take weeks, maybe even months, and I have no idea how virulent or deadly this thing in Alex is. By the time I figure out how to treat him, he could already be dead," Jaqueline said angrily.

"If you had better equipment, could you do something?" Hatchet asked.

"Sweetie, I appreciate the offer, but building new equipment could take as much time as synthesizing a cure. And none of the other Resistance bases nearby would have the kind of medical tech I need. There's only one place in the world that has the advanced technology and equipment necessary to save Alexander," Jaqueline revealed, and everyone's eyes widened.

"You don't mean…" Sebastian began nervously, to which the mad scientist nodded grimly.

"Yup. Only place left in the world with human-centric medical facilities is the freaking YoRHa Bunker," Jaqueline stated. Everyone shared a look. Then, without hesitation, A2 summoned her sword to her hands.

"Let's do this."


	24. Chapter 22: Mission: Save Alexander! P1

**.**

 **Chapter 22: Mission: Save Alexander! Part 1**

 **.**

It took everyone jumping on A2 to stop her from going on a rampage. Literally.

9S and Sebastian dove for her legs, Hatchet and Emil went for her waist, POD 153 rushed over and placed its 'hands' over her eyes, 2B grabbed the A-type's sword arm, and Jaqueline pinned her other arm down so she couldn't use that to punch or reach for another weapon.

Even then, she struggled hard to free herself from her companion's grasp.

"Let! Me! GO!" she shouted, starting to glow red.

"Shit, Berserker State!" 9S swore furiously.

"A2, stop! This won't help Alexander!" Jaqueline cried out.

"But, the Bunker…"

"Is his only hope! If you damage it, then you'll be damning him to a slow, painful death!" Jaqueline explained angrily. "Attacking the Bunker will not help anything at all!"

Logic eventually managed to pierce her haze of battle lust, and A2 released her Berserker mode and lowered her arm, dismissing the blade.

"What do we do, then?" she demanded. "If we cannot attack directly, how can we get the Commander's attention?"

"Yeah, she's blocked all of our calls," 9S stated. "2B and I can't contact the Bunker to ask for a parlay or anything, not since they black listed us and declared us fugitives. And none of the Resistance androids have a high enough clearance to ask for a direct communication link to her on such short notice, not even Anemone!"

"That is where you're wrong," Jaqueline said. "Or did you forget I used to know Whitey before she became the Commander? I happen to have her old personal communication ident, meaning I have a way to send her a message only she will receive."

"Will that work?" 2B inquired, folding her arms. "It's been many years since you two spoke. She could have changed her ID, or contact data since becoming Comamnder."

"Maybe, but odds are she hasn't. After all, this is a direct line, and I mean direct. It's connected to her very Black Box. So even if she's changed bodies or upgraded her systems, this contact ident will locate her and ping her no matter where she is or how she's changed physically."

At that, the trio of YoRHa androids shared a look and nodded slowly. Black Boxes were the core of an android. It contained their 'soul,' for lack of a better term. It was where their personality and emotional data was stored, and it existed in a metaphysical state. Even if it was extracted and 'destroyed' as a suicide attack, the contents of the Black Box would still exist on the Bunker's Cloud System, being able to be reuploaded to a new android body in the event of 'death.' This tended to result in memory loss, and more than once the Commander would 'brainwash' YoRHa agents by tampering with their sealed Black Box data, but the core contents remained, inviolable to any changes. It was why 9S always had the same personality, curiosity, and attraction to 2B despite repeated mindwipes.

"That might actually work!" 9S exclaimed happily. "If it's linked to her Black Box, there's no way she can avoid receiving the message!"

He then frowned. "How are we going to send it to her, though? POD 153's blacklisted and can't contact any YoRHa units or systems."

"Actually, I have a plan for that as well. And A2, I think even you might like it," Jaqueline claimed. They all listened to the mad scientist's plan, and though there were some grumbles, in the end, it was decided to be the best course of action.

And A2's smile freaked everyone the fuck out.

"You ever wonder why we're here?" A Resistance android with a red bandana asked as she stood on the roof of a small outpost.

"All the time," a fellow Resistance android replied, though he had an orange bandana wrapped around his head.

"Sometimes I wonder what our purpose is. Did the humans really have a hand in our creation, or was it an accident of design and programming that gave us these appearances? And do we even have a right to resemble our primogenitors, now that they are all truly dead? Is it not blasphemy to make oneself into an idol? And what point is there, anymore? Fight the Machine Lifeforms for an eternity? And for what reward? To die? Drift endless on a sea of data and electric dreams? Keep fighting? These questions, man. They keep me up at night."

The red Resistance android stared at her partner with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"Um, actually, I meant, 'why are we here,' as in, why this particular base? All it has is a YoRHa vending machine terminal and nothing else of note! It's not even near any strategic locations, ours or the enemies!"

She gestured to the rest of the ramshackle building they were stationed at. "I mean, look at us! A handful of trained Resistance fighters, sent to guard a tiny piece of stupid tech they can barely use anymore, now that the satellite uplinks are down! It's ridiculous!"

"Oh," Orange said quietly, looking away with a cough of embarrassment.

"Where did all that philosophical stuff come from?" Red asked.

"Nothing!"

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Will you two love birds keep it down?! Some of us are trying to destroy all evil!" A deafening 'BOOM!' shakes the outpost. "HA! Yeah, take that, Machine! Taste the wrath of my rocket launcher-shotgun!"

"I still can't believe Sarge managed to weld those two weapons together and get them to work!" Orange uttered in disbelief.

"I can't believe you have such deep thoughts. Come on, talk to me!" Red replied. Before Orange or Sarge could speak, however, a scream of utter terror filled the base.

"Ugh! What is it now, Pinkie?" Red asked with a sigh, glaring over her shoulder at a fellow android with a pink colored headband who slammed the front door to the base shut, panting heavily. "Burn another batch of cookies?"

"We're under atta-gurk!" the android began, only to be cut off as a hand burst through the solid metal door and wrapped itself around his throat. The door was then tore off its hinges, and a terrifying figure appeared.

"Hello, I'm here to fuck up your base!" the grinning monster announced.

"Holy shi-!" was all Orange managed to utter, before the door that had been ripped from its hinge was torn off of the invader's arm and hurled up at the observing duo. It smashed into Orange, sending him sprawling, while Red leapt aside, pulling up an assault rifle.

"Put down the idiot!" Red shouted, as Pinkie was still being held aloft by the throat.

"Sure." The attacker swung her arm and sent the android in her grasp flying into Red, knocking them both down.

"Violent much, A2?" 9S asked, stepping into the base behind the A-type.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" she declared, cracking her knuckles menacingly.

"Hey! No one is allowed to use my men and woman as shotputs but me!" a gruff voice called out, and a Resistance android with a strange weapon and dark red bandana growled out as he emerged from a side door into the small courtyard of the base.

He pointed the weapon at them at let lose a volley of rockets. A2 tensed, a feral grin on her face, but 9S raised a hand behind her and hijacked the missiles, turning them around onto the android.

"Whoa there!" Sarge cried out as they exploded around him, sending him flying.

"Haven't had a chance to use that technique since that Goliath battle at the factory," the S-type mused. "Man, it feels like forever!"

"Don't interfere!" A2 growled at 9S, who stepped back, hands held up in surrender.

"Okay, okay!" he said. "Go have fun! But don't kill them, remember?"

"I know the plan," the Assault unit declared before dodging a spray of bullets.

"Eat this!" Orange shouted out, having recovered from his door related injury and now hosing the area with the invaders with gunfire.

The shells did little damage to A2 when they connected, and she was able to avoid most of the shots easily thanks to her superior reflexes. She rushed at the Resistance android, running up the wall to reach his perch, before delivering a vicious roundhouse kick that sent him flying off the edge of the roof.

"Take this, you bitch!" Red cried, pushing Pinkie off of her body and firing her own gun. A2 hooked her foot under the crumpled remains of the door and kicked it upwards, using it as a shield to block the hail of bullets.

The A-type then kicked the door while it was in midair, and sent it towards Red. The Resistance gynoid dove to the side to evade the projectile, but Pinkie, who had just staggered to his feet, was not so lucky, and was hit by the chunk of metal and sent tumbling off the roof, landing on Orange as he tried to get back up.

"Two down, two to go," A2 smirked at Red before charging forward. She drove a fist into the other woman's stomach, and then stomped her on the back, driving her through the roof.

"Three down," the A-type muttered smugly, before backflipping to avoid a rocket. It exploded violently, tearing a portion of the roof off, and A2 glared at the rocket launcher wielding android, who glared back.

"Taste the wrath of my Rocket-Gun!" he roared, unleashing a hail of buckshot at the invader. She jumped aside, and then jumped off the building.

Sarge continued to fire at her, but she materialized her Faith blade and cut the rockets apart and deflected the bullets. She delivered a brutal dropkick to the Resistance android's head as she landed, a loud 'Crunch!' echoing through the base. He fell, a foot-shaped dent in his head.

"SARGE!" the three defenders cried out from their various piles. They let out sighs of relief when their leader staggered back to his feet.

"HA! It'll take more than that to put me down!" Sarge declared, though he looked extremely comical with his misshapen head.

"Okay, then," A2 said with a shrug. She dismissed her blade and began to pummel the android with her fists.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORAAA!" she roared, her final punch sending him flipping through the air. He landed in heap, twitching in pain.

"That was rather fun. Cathartic, too," A2 declared, dusting her hands off. She then placed them on her hips and glared over her shoulder. "9S, you done yet?"

The shota-bot emerged from the base's interior and gave her a thumbs up.

"Yup! Message sent to the Bunker via the Terminal!"

"Good. Let's get out of here," she declared, and she left the base, steps cocky and a swing in her hips. 9S followed behind a lot less sensually.

"Damn, that's a fine ass!" Orange uttered once he was sure A2 was out of hearing range.

"He did have a cute butt," Pinkie agreed, eyes lingering on the Scout unit's backside. Orange shot the pink bandana-wearing android a funny look before scooting away from his comrade.

"So, you're telling me A2 and 9S assaulted your base, and didn't kill any of you?" Commander White demanded incredulously, arms folded as she received a report from some backwater Resistance base whose only value was the intact Terminal it possessed.

"Err, yes, ma'am, that's correct," Sarge said nervously. "Kicked our asses and then left after saying something about a message and the Bunker!"

It had been several hours since the attack in question, and only now was the Bunker learning about the attack perpetrated by two of YoRHa's most wanted. The reason for the delay was due to no one believing the base's report. A2 leaving survivors? Not likely! Only when Sarge sent over video footage taken from the base's camera's did YoRHa accept what was being reported as true.

"And you don't know what sort of message they sent to us?" White asked, as confused as everyone else. She just hid it better. The Resistance android shook his head rapidly.

"No, ma'am! Shortstack just said the message had been sent to the Bunker! Then they left!"

White frowned deeply. No new messages had come into the Bunker from the outpost. At least, not to the general mail system. It was possible a personal message had been sent to an android within the Bunker, but the only YoRHa units that had any major connection to the wanted criminals were 6O and 21O, and neither Operator had received any personal communications. White knew, she'd checked personally.

"Fine. Keep up the good work, and report back if anything else unusual happens in the future," White ordered, before terminating the call.

"Err, ma'am, should we release 6O and 21O from their rooms, now?" an Operator asked. The pair had been confined to 'house arrest' when it was learned 9S had sent a message to the Bunker. They'd been cleared of charges now, but were still not allowed to leave their rooms.

"No," White said after a moment of thought. "Keep them locked up for now. 9S may have sent a time-delayed message, or hidden something in the systems only they could find. Until we've scrubbed the Bunker's incoming mail, they are not allowed to leave."

"Yes, ma'am," the Operator who'd spoken up said stiffly, and more than a few O-types were frowning behind their veils.

6O was a cute and innocent snowflake, and 21O had the best naughty humor out of all of them. They both were valued members of the YoRHa Mission Control team. The other Operators might not have had any combat training or defense skills, but they looked after their own the best they could. And the Commander's treatment of two innocent androids was not sitting well with them.

Sensing the hostility, White frowned, but said nothing. She couldn't afford to let her control slip. She'd have to do something about this matter. And soon.

"I'm returning to my room to rest," White declared, striding over to the elevator platform and stepping onto it. "Keep me up to date with any new information on this matter."

She then walked out of the Command Center and through the halls of the Bunker. YoRHa androids scurried out of her way as she passed, and she rode the elevator-tube to the floor where her room was located.

This floor was no different from any other residential level of the Bunker. The only main thing of note would be the numbers on the doors.

A1… A2… A3… 1E… 3E… 9E… Floor 13 was the residential block for the elite YoRHa units. The now defunct Assault types, the hidden Executioner models, and of course, the discontinued Commander units.

The hallway was as stark and sterile as the rest of the Bunker, but it lacked even the tiniest glint of liveliness. Compared to the other floors, this entire level was barren and dead.

After all, there was only one A-type and C-type left, and the E-types were often undercover posing as other unit types, so they stayed in the living quarters of their fake callsign.

In the end, Commander White was the sole inhabitant of the 13th floor.

She entered her room without a word or thought to the emptiness around her. She was used to the loneliness after all these years. Her tiny, featureless domicile was exactly the same as every other personal room in the Bunker. Small, cramped, a single bed, with a stool and terminal interface console near the entrance. She had no window on her wall, though.

White sat down gracefully on the bed. Even in private she was composed and calm. She began to go through breathing and meditation techniques. She had discovered them a long time ago, before she'd promoted herself to YoRHa's supreme leader. Despite being an android and not having lungs or a need to breath, she still practiced. It helped her control herself.

A blinking red light caught her eye in the middle of her routine, and she frowned. Why was her console blinking?

She rose from her bed and approached the mini-terminal, tapping it. Her eyes widened and she cursed softly.

"So, this is where 9S's message was sent," she muttered. She opened the email he'd sent her, and her frown deepened into a scowl. It was a simple thing, with only a few lines of text, map coordinates, and a half-dozen picture files.

But the contents were enough to cause even her legendary aloofness to come crashing down.

'BANG!' her fist dented the wall above the console. Trembling with fury and a flurry of other emotions she couldn't decipher, she deleted the message and its attachments, scrubbing them from the Bunker's mainframe completely. She then checked the digital clock on the console.

She typed in a few commands before broadcasting a message to the entire Bunker.

"6O, 21O, This is Commander White. Report to the hanger immediately. I repeat, 6O, 21O, report to the hanger immediately." She then exited her room and with hastened steps, rode the elevator-tube down to the Jetframe hanger.

"I need a Flight Unit. Now," she ordered the technicians.

"You? You want a Flight Unit?" 4T asked, shocked.

White's glare fell onto her, and she trembled. "Did I stutter? Or are your audio processors damaged?"

"No, ma'am! One Flight Unit, ma'am!" she shouted, saluting. "And, err, do you want a pair for 6O and 21O?"

"No," White stated sharply, and 4T looked helplessly at her coworkers before scrambling to complete the Commander's request.

By the time the two Operators had arrived, Commander White was enthroned in one of the high-tech mecha-jet.

"You called for us, Commander?" 21O asked politely, while 6O trembled slightly in fear at her friend's side.

"Indeed. We're going for a ride."

"Wait, what?" 21O uttered, confused. Mechanical arms lashed out and they were suddenly found being held immobile in the grasp of the Flight Unit's robotic limbs.

Gasps rang through the hanger, but White silenced them all with a single look.

"You two get to be collateral and hostages for a meeting I have to attend soon."

"With who?" 6O stammered out. Who on Earth would care about the two of them enough that the Commander would use them as hostages?

"A2, 2B, 9S, and a traitorous bitch I should have killed long ago," White uttered, venom in her voice.

"Um, who would that last person be?" 6O asked hesitantly.

"My ex," White hissed, pure rage and vitriol in every syllable.

The two Operators barely had time to process that before they were suddenly zooming out of the hanger, still trapped in the Flight Unit's grasp. They didn't even have a chance to scream due to the air pressure and wind whipping at their faces as they suddenly found themselves leaving the Bunker for the first time in their entire lives.

It would have been awe-inspiring if they'd had a chance to admire the scenery and not have to worry about being dropped by an irate Commander.


	25. Chapter 23: Mission: Save Alexander! P2

**.**

 **Chapter 23: Mission: Save Alexander! Part 2**

 **.**

"How much longer do we have to wait?" A2 demanded, tapping her foot impatiently. She was waiting in the spot 9S and Jaqueline had sent to Commander White in the message, along with her fellow rogue ex-YoRHa units, the household's pet mad scientist, and of course, Alexander.

"I don't know. Maybe another couple of hours?" Jaqueline mused with a shrug. She sat next to Alexander, whose complexion had not changed at all since she'd diagnosed him.

On the one hand, that was good. He wasn't getting worse and thus about to die abruptly. On the other hand, it meant he wasn't getting better, either, and whatever had infected him was now entrenched in his body.

Alexander moaned softly and Jaqueline gently stroked his hair while injecting a vial of painkillers into his arm.

He had been brought to the meeting spot because escorting White back to their home was a bad idea. It was their secret haven, a refuge none knew of.

They'd made sure Alexander was comfortable, though. Hatchet and Sebastian had converted an old bathtub in a sort of medical bed-capsule. It was lined with pillows and blankets and had a number of medical apparatus welded onto the sides. IV drip, heart monitor, and a few other important items meant to track the Last Human's health were all hooked up to the boy who lay in the tub.

Said tub had been carried to the meeting spot by 2B, with Jaqueline following behind. They reached the area shortly before A2 and 9S did, after they returned from attacking the small, out-of-the-way base and upload her message to the Terminal.

All they could do now was wait for White to read it, and come to them. And she would. Jaqueline had made sure of that.

But waiting meant being out in the open with a sick patient, and even Jaqueline's skills could only go so far. A2 adjusted one of the blankets covering Alexander, who shivered and snuggled deeper into the warmth.

"He'll be fine, A2. I promise," Jaqueline vowed, looking at the worried mother calmly. Inside though, she was also deeply concerned. 2B was the same, barely able to hide her apprehension. 9S paced back and forth, muttering to himself about plans to infiltrate the Bunker if worst came to worst.

His break-in plans didn't have to become reality, though, as the sound of an engine filled the air, and everyone looked up to see a Flight Unit approaching them.

It was still too distant to make out clearly, but the Flight Unit seemed to be colored white, which was a good sign, and had come alone. Also a good sign!

"Are those people being carried by the Flight Unit?" 9S asked aloud, using his visor to zoom in on the approaching machine. Indeed, two tiny dots were just barely noticeable, struggling in the vice-like grip of the Flight Unit's arms.

"Looks like Whitey is bringing company," Jaqueline joked, though her voice was strained and her grip on the edge of Alexander's medical bed tightened.

Tension only heightened as the Flight Unit grew closer. No missiles or lasers were fired at them, so that was nice, but the worry did not fade until the commander arrived and set the aerial mech-suit down.

"6O!" 2B exclaimed in shocked at the same time 9S cried out, "21O!"

The operators in question dangled from the Flight Unit's grip, though their struggles ceased as soon as they caught sight of the ex-YoRHa androids.

"Oh my gosh, 2B, it's been so long!" 6O exclaimed happily, but was cut off by a gesture from Commander White.

"Shut it," the C-type growled at her, hopping out of the Flight Unit. "Do not speak until I say so."

"So glad you got my message, Whitey," Jaqueline said, smirking playfully at her old lover.

"You…" White fumed, but held off on saying anything. She glared at A2 and the others, her gaze sharp, and her hand reflexively reached for her baton.

"Try anything and I'll tear you apart!" A2 snarled, summoning forth Faith.

"Threaten me again, and I'll show you how obsolete you really are!" White shot back.

Sparks flew between the two, and 9S gulped in fear and stepped back.

"Should we, I don't know, stop them?"

"Nah, best to let it out of their systems now rather than later," Jaqueline stated. "Let them get their dick measuring out of the way first, then we can talk."

"It's for the best," 2B added. "A2 and the Commander have unresolved issues. I think, if we let them work out their differences…"

Her words of sagely advice were lost as A2 exploded into action, throwing herself at White with a feral howl.

White countered the vicious overhead sword strike with her baton, which soon unfolded into a larger, more complex club-like weapon which crackled with electricity.

The two exchanged blows, White using her stun-club while A2 fought with her blade.

White was methodical, and despite her rage, fought calmly and with skill, only counter-attacking. A2 fell back on her old method of 'keep hitting it until the target or the weapon breaks.' Against the Machine Lifeforms, such a tactic was effective.

White was no mere Machine, and her combat algorithms were designed for use against both Machines and androids. After all, she was a Command model. Before the E-types were conceived up, it had always been the plan for the C's to be used as disciplinary units in the event of mutiny.

Furthermore, White's electrified baton was extremely effective as disabling technological entities. A glancing blow to A2, head caused her right eye to glitch for three seconds. A solid blow to her left elbow paralyzed it for nine seconds. Tapping it against her right knee disabled said limb for seven seconds.

Over and over the two clashed, sparks flying. A2 grew more and more ferocious as she failed to land any major hits on the Commander. A superficial cut here and there was nothing to an android, after all. Her rage caused her to overextend herself during a swing, and White vaulted over the attack before ramming her stun-club into the base of A2's spine.

With a cry of pain and defeat the rogue gynoid collapsed, twitching and spasming as lightning coursed through her body. A2 tried to move, to rise, but a solid kick to her ribs sent her crashing back down.

"You may have been made to be the best fighter, A2, but I was designed to be the best, period," White declared as she glared down at her defeated foe. There was no hint of bragging in her voice. Just fact. She was 1C, after all. The ultimate YoRHa android.

White then stomped down onto the A-type's back, pinning A2 to the dirt, a high-heel placed painfully on her back.

"Give me one good reason not to kill you," White growled, and the tension ratchetted up even higher as she removed a pistol from a hidden holster.

The gun was not one of the sleek new laser pistols used by YoRHa. It was a simple, high-caliber slug thrower used by the Resistance, perfectly designed for punching through the thick armor plates of a Machine. Against an android, even one as powerful as A2, it was more than enough to destroy any part of her body it was aimed at, especially from a close distance.

"White, wait!" Jaqueline shouted, only now realizing that maybe taunting the freaking leader of a military organization was a bad idea.

"Explain it to me! Give me one fucking good reason not to!" White shouted, her question now aimed at the other rogue androids.

"Mama?" A weak voice filled the clearing, causing everything to freeze. 6O gasped, and 21O shook her head, trying to comprehend what her audio processors had just heard.

White's eyes narrowed as Jaqueline hastily turned back to the oddly modified bathtub in the clearing with them. Beneath her foot, A2 squirmed violently, trying to break free.

"Let me go! He needs me!" she shouted, struggling. White thought it over for a second before lifting her foot. A2 shot out from under her and rushed to Jaqueline's side.

"I'm here, Alexander! I'm here, baby!"

"Mama… I'm sorry…"

"Shhh! Shhh, baby, it's fine! Mama's here, Alexander, everything is fine!" A2 shushed. She reached down and picked up the tiny bundle within the bed, gently cooing and cradling the precious entity within.

"How?" White demanded, her eyes never leaving the modified bed-tub-cradle. "How did a human survive after all these years?"

The O-types gasped, and Jaqueline grimaced. "It's a long story, Whitey. But it'll end up being a short one if I don't manage to get him help."

The eye-patch wearing gynoid turned away from Alexander and folded her arms, glaring at the Commander. "He's sick, and I need access to the Bunker's medical facilities. Now."

White hesitated for only a moment, before contacting the Bunker. "This is Commander White. Dispatch an Airbus to my location immediately. Prepare to lock down the Bunker upon my return."

After listening to some confirmation on her end, she nodded and turned back to Jaqueline. "It'll be here in half an hour."

"Good," the Resistance android sighed in relief. "That's good."

White stared at her for a long time before turning away with a grunt. She walked back to the Flight Unit and released the two Operators she'd brought along.

"Liaise with 2B and 9S, and find out everything. You are not to mention this to anyone except myself, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" they shouted, saluting. Then, they hurried over to where their old partners stood, eagerness clearly visible.

"2B! Oh, it's so good to see you again!" 6O cheered, throwing her arms around the disguised E-type.

"It's good to you as well," 2B said fondly, awkwardly patting the enthusiastic Operator on the back.

"You sure got into a lot of trouble," 21O said with a teasing smile as she looked down at 9S. the shota-bot shuffled his feet sheepishly.

"Yeah, I kinda did," he said lamely. He looked up at her, and he couldn't help but see 21O broken and corrupted corpse in his eyes. He shook his head, clearing that memory away. 21O was fine, now. She'd been repaired.

"I was worried about you," 21O admitted. She bit her lip before giving in to the urge. She bent down and scooped up the smaller android into a hug.

"2-21O?!" 9S gasped in shock.

"I've wanted to do this for a long time!" his Operator announced. "Now, tell me everything!"

White watched the reunion without a flicker of emotion. She kept an eye on the area, and observed a certain one-eyed gynoid approach her with slow, cautious steps.

"You kept it," Jaqueline noted as she approached White while the O-types chatted with the others.

"I did," White stated, slipping the pistol back into its holster. "I see you went back to your old name, instead of using that expletive."

"You didn't delete your old memories, either," Jaqueline accused bitterly, ignoring the words she said about her name change.

"I didn't," White confirmed.

"Why?" she demanded. Hurt and betrayal rushed through the Resistance android before she shut those away.

"I had to lead YoRHa. I had no time to pretend to be in love with you, anymore," White replied tartly.

"Is that what you think?" Jaqueline demanded, pain flashing through her expression.

"We are androids. Tools made by the humans. We may act like humans, but we will never be like them. Any 'emotions' we have are merely a programmed response. A lie. No matter how I thought of you in the past, it was all just playing pretend, in the end. Androids cannot love."

White's declaration hurt more than Jaqueline cared to admit. She turned away from the Commander and walked back to stand beside A2.

A twisted expression of sympathetic pain was attached to the A-type's face, and she awkwardly patted Jaqueline's shoulder in pity.

"She's not worth it," she said after a minute.

"No, she's not," Jaqueline agreed after taking a moment to wipe away her tears.

Thirty minutes passed, and a large, hovering vehicle arrived to pick up the group. White got into her Flight Unit and watched the other androids crowd into the flying bus. With extremely care, 2B and A2 loaded up Alexander's bed into the back of the bus, and kept a close eye on him throughout the flight. White flew alongside the Airbus, acting as a guard for the precious cargo within.

They reached the Bunker without incident, thankfully. The hangar was cleared of any and all androids, as was the way to the medical labs. The labs were kept clean and functional, like all parts of the Bunker, but because it dealt with handling organic tissue, it was usually only used for studying the evolved flora and fauna of Earth, and to occasionally synthesize flesh for damaged androids.

A group of M-types waited nervously in the lab as White entered with the ex-YoRHa units and the Last Human.

"Get out," the Commander ordered them.

"But, ma'am, we…"

"OUT!"

The Medical types scurried away, leaving the area rather empty.

"A2, 2B, 9S, you should leave as well," Jaqueline suggested, eyeing White cautiously.

"No!" the A-type shouted, standing protectively in front of Alexander's bed.

"Please, it's for the best," Jaqueline pleaded. "I promise, nothing will happen to him."

"Come on, A2, let's let the professionals do their thing," 9S said, taking her by the hand and leading her gently out of the room.

"But…"

"White won't do anything to harm Alexander," 2B stated confidently.

"You have my word as Commander of YoRHa I will do everything I can do save the boy," White vowed. A2 scowled, clearly not believing her, but was finally convinced to wait outside.

As the door slid shut, Jaqueline sighed in relief. Then, she strode over to where Alexander lay and removed a syringe from her coat, injecting the pearly colored substance within it into his arm. Alexander mumbled something before falling silent, and his chest slowly rose and fell in slumber.

"Here, help me carry him over to the scanning bed," Jaqueline instructed White, who complied, hefting the seven-year-old body out of the modified tub and taking him over to an advanced medical slab. Light blinked to life as an assortment of scanners went over the last human's body.

"Okay, let's me check… man, this stuff is complicated," Jaqueline muttered as she began to type away at a console. "Hmm, let's see… 'auto-probe?' What's that?"

"Do you want me to inform you how to work that device, or do you want to fumble some more?" White asked scathingly. "Besides, if we want to synthesize a cure, we need to take a sample of his blood, first."

"Oh, no need, I just cured him," Jaqueline said, waving her hand dismissively, eyes still glued to the screen in front of her. "Okay, where would you… Ah-ha! There we go…"

"You… wait, what?" White uttered, flabbergasted. "He's cured? How? Why?"

"Well, the 'how' is thanks to what I just injected him with," Jaqueline said. "Should be completely cured in a few hours, all traces of disease purged. As to 'why,' well, I told you, I needed access to the medical facility."

A crackling hum ran through the room as White activated her stun-club and pointed it at the Resistance android. "Explain. Now."

"Always so impatient," Jaqueline sighed, before turning away to face the Commander. "Okay, so, here's the thing: Alexander was never in any danger. The illness he came down with? I put it in him."

"What?" White gasped. "You purposefully hurt a human?!"

"Oh, don't get your panties in a bunch, he was never in any danger," Jaqueline scoffed. "The disease was one I made out of a modified tuberculosis virus. I had the antidote the whole time. If at any point it looked like Alexander would die, I'd 'miraculously' devise a cure for him. He'd be safe. I just needed him to seem really sick. Sick enough that the others would have no choice but to agree to send him here, to the Bunker."

"Why?" White demanded, not lowering her weapon at all.

"I needed the advanced equipment here in order to do more in-depth and invasive testing on him," the mad scientist revealed without a shred of remorse.

"You…!" White struggled to hold back her anger. "You haven't changed at all!"

"Nope," the Resistance android said with a wide grin. "But hey, this time, you can help me with my research!"

She stepped away from the console and pointed at it. "Whitey, be a dear and tell me the password so I can access the files from Project Ascension?"

White froze completely, and looked from the mad scientist to the console, then over to Alexander, stun-club lowering.

"Impossible," she muttered in disbelief. "It can't… It won't work!"

"All sorts of experiments were conducted to try and restore mankind," Jaqueline said with a shrug. "Project Phoenix, Project Lazarus, Project Prometheus, Project Timeskip… all of them failed, for one reason or another. But this! This!"

She clapped her hand eagerly like a child. "Project Ascension is different! It's the only one that can work. That will work, to revive the human race!"

"There's not enough bio-data… not enough genetic information or material that isn't ruined…" White replied, but even she was shaken by the ideas in her head.

"That was the case until A2 and her band of misfits found Alexander," Jaqueline retorted. "We can harvest from his body enough samples of DNA and other matters to begin rebuilding humanity!"

She smirked. "It's a damn good thing the Last Human is a male, that way we can work with both X and Y chromosomes. It's why the other experiments all failed. There wasn't enough human male DNA to splice or meld freely. After all, most of the DNA we have was taken from the humans who were part of the Replicant Project, and they were all that was left of humanity at the time. And out of the less than two hundred humans who made up this desperate last gamble, less than a third were male. It's why there are more female androids. There were more female bio-data, memory types and mind-engrams to use than male. Now, though, it different. Alexander's DNA is not only male and fresh, but immune to White Chlorination Syndrome, thus eliminating the last obstacle completing Project Ascension!"

She threw her arms wide. "We can finally turn androids into humans!"

"Every android in existence is 30-60% bio-mechanical," Jaqueline went on, pacing in front of White as she spoke. "Cloned human tissues was used to create us, to make us better and more human-like. The YoRHa are the ones with the most bio-mechanical components. And all it'll take is a couple upgrades to reverse engineer and install fully functional reproductive organs and turn the bio-mechanical part of us into fully organic pieces of flesh!"

"Think about it, White! Imagine it! You and me and the other gynoids, the mothers of humanity! Our artificial wombs will have real human eggs inside them, made from cloned and genetically altered samples! The males will be installed with modified phalluses containing a randomized assortment of genes and chromosomes with which to impregnate the eggs and ovum we'll possess! Mankind will rise, and be raised, by the hands of their own creations!"

White trembled. Hope warred with centuries of failures. Before, all the samples of human DNA the androids had had to work with had been ancient and decayed. But fresh genetical material, taken from a human who was still alive? The possibilities were endless!

In the midst of her mental breakdown, Jaqueline approached White and grabbed her hands.

"Help me, White! Help me bring humanity back from extinction!" the one-eyed mad scientist pleaded. "With YoRHa's technology, we can do it! We can make it happen! All those dreams we had when we were together, we can achieve them!"

White took her hands back from Jaqueline. Unconsciously, she placed them against her stomach. Gears and wire and metal lay beneath the veneer of humanity she wore. Her womb was a fake one, added simply because the designers of the androids had wanted them to be as accurate and identical to humans as possible. But with her ex's plan, could it possibly be used to create life?

For so long, she'd led the androids. Death and destruction were all she knew. Could she really change that?

For several long, agonizingly silent minutes, White thought it over. Then, she walked over to the console and typed in a string of letters and numbers. The screen lit up, revealing the data Jaqueline had craved.

The mad scientist in question let out a mad laugh as she rushed over to the console and began to read.

Once her laughter ended, she glanced over at the sleeping Alexander, and a fond expression crossed her face.

"Thank you." She pressed a button, and all sorts of medical instruments converged on the Last Human. "I apologize in advance, this may sting slightly. Good news, though! It won't hurt for long."

It was a good thing Alexander was asleep, and thus unable to witness or feel anything, else he might have developed a severe phobia of needles, saws, and laser-scalpels.


	26. Chapter 24: Mission: Save Alexander! Epi

**.**

 **Chapter 24: Mission: Save Alexander! Epilogue**

 **.**

"How do you feel, Alexander? Hot? Cold? Sweaty? Do you need anything?" A2 asked, fussing over her son as he lay on his bed back in their hidden home. After spending a whole day inside a medical lab being 'examined,' he'd finally been released to the care of his family.

White had protested this, loudly, but Jaqueline had managed to convince her that it was better for Alex to be with those who'd treat him not just well, but as family, making it less likely that he'd grow up with a god-complex, or worse.

Reluctantly, the Commander had agreed, but only if the mad scientist provided weekly updates on his health and general mental state. A2 snorted, but submitted to the compromise.

So, after sneaking Alexander and themselves out of the Bunker using some old, abandoned passages and the Commander's security override code, the ramshackle family finally made it back to their own home, tucking the last human into bed so he could recover.

"No, mom, I feel fine," he said in a whisper, though a tiny exasperated smile danced across his face at his mother's attention.

"How long to I have to stay in bed, Aunt Jaqueline? I thought I was all healed?" he asked the mad scientist who stood by the door.

"You should rest for another day or two before trying to get up and doing anything more strenuous than walking. Your body is healed, and the tuberculosis removed from your lungs, but the damage it did to you needs a bit more time to recover from," she informed the last human.

Alex nodded slowly, disappointed but understanding. "What about guests? Can people still come visit me?"

"Of course! In fact, there's one person who's been dying to see you ever since she got you safely back home," Jaqueline said with a smirk. She then glanced over at A2. "Come on, let's give the two some privacy."

The battle-hungry gynoid bit her lip but nodded after a moment and followed the Resistance android out of Alex's room. Shortly after their departure a Machine burst in, static sobs escaping her as she rushed over to her friend's side.

"I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried!" Blue bawled, barely able to resist crushing Alexander with a powerful hug. She settled for kneel beside his bed and lying her round head against his lap.

"There, there, Blue. I'm okay, now. All healed up, and better than ever!" Alex said cheerfully, flexing his left arm while stroking Blue's head with his right.

"I-I thought I was going to lose you," she whispered sadly, hiccupping static as her emotions poured out.

"I'm not going anywhere for a long time, Blue, I promise," he said softly, patting her gently. He then straightened up her blue bow which was slightly crooked, the only obvious physical sign of her distress these past few days.

"How is Pascal and the village doing? Is everyone alright while I've been, uh, indisposed?" Alex inquired.

"Pascal is well. She was very worried about you when she learned about your illness. A lot of the others were concerned as well. They made you something, actually." Blue rummaged around in her internal storage before extracting a bundle of brightly colored sheets of paper. "We all made 'get-well soon' cards! According to 9S, these were a human tradition to send well-wishes and comforting words to the sick."

"Wow, so many?" he gasped, taking them from the Machine girl.

"Yup! Everyone in the village made one for you!" Blue said proudly. "Even Jean-Paul did! Although I don't really understand anything he wrote…"

Alexander took the purple sheet of paper and looked at the philosophical musings scribbled onto it. He tilted his head, trying to observe it from a different angle in an attempt to see if it made sense. It didn't, and he slowly put it down.

"I have a headache trying to make sense of this," Alex admitted, rubbing his forehead. "I also can't tell if he's trying to write a poem or not, either. I mean, half the time it rhymes, but the rest of the time it rabbles nonsensically!"

"That's Jean-Paul for you," Blue giggled, and the human couldn't help but chuckle as well at the thought of the odd philosophy obsessed Machine who came and went from the village at random.

"Yeah, you're right." He looked through the rest of the get-well cards, smiling all the while as he read the kind words the Machines had written for him. When he got to Blue's card, written of course on blue paper, she turned her head aside, embarrassed as he began to read it aloud.

"'I miss you so much, Alex. My core hurts thinking about losing you. What will I do without you? You better recover soon, or else!'" he read out, a smile on his lips. "Aww, you really care for me!"

"Of course I do! You're my friend! I lo- like you, Alex," she stuttered, a flicker of static in her tone. Alex didn't notice the hiccup in her words, intent as he was on rereading her handwriting.

"I missed you, too, Blue. At least, I did the few times I was conscious," he said with a self-deprecating chuckle.

She just looked down, unable to look at him. Inside of her programming, she berated herself for trying to use that silly word.

'I like him! LIKE HIM! I don't have any other 'L' word to describe my feelings for him!' Blue chastised herself. 'I'm just a machine, after all.'

The week without Alexander had been some of the worst days of her life, easily up there with the time she lost her sister and so many other friends from the first village.

She'd been separated from Alex before, and for longer periods, but this was the first time there was a chance she'd never see him again, and her software practically rebelled at the thought. Seeing safe and sound in front of her, though, made her code sing and her magic pulse.

"I hope you're ready to have your butt kicked when it comes time for lessons with Mister Emil to begin again," Blue said, distracting herself from her own thoughts and feelings. "I hope a week of being lazy and sitting on your squishy meat-butt hasn't dulled your skills!"

"I'll show you whose been sitting on whose butt!" Alexander declared with a laugh. The two shared a few more stories about the village, and how things in Relic City were doing.

There was one thing of major note that had happened: the Resistance had apparently managed to fully repair a section of the city back to how it used to be before White Chlorination Syndrome and the aliens. It even had running water and functioning electricity!

"I really want to see that!" Alex said, awe in his voice. The legacy of his ancestors… of his people… restored to how it once had been!

"We're planning on doing something similar to the village soon. Pascal has already began discussing the matter with Anemone," Blue revealed.

"Will you keep the plants, though?"

"Yes, I think we will keep the trees. It gives it 'personality,' I believe the word is," Blue stated. "It's our style, after all!"

"I look forward to it," he said eagerly.

After chatting some Jaqueline came up to let the pair know it was getting dark.

"We don't want Pascal to get mad at us for keeping you out so late at night," the scientist stated.

"Alright. But I'll be back tomorrow!" the Machine Lifeform declare.

"Sure, sure, come over and bother the brat anytime you like," Jaqueline chuckled. As Blue left, she went over to Alex's side and felt his forehead.

"Hmmm, normal temp… good, it seems like everything is nominal," she said with a smile.

"Aunt Jaqueline, um, I have a question," Alex mumbled, looking down at his sheets.

"What is it?"

"What's Project Ascension?"

The Resistance gynoid stiffened. "What? Where did you hear that?"

"I-I don't know, it just… feels like I know it. I-I think I heard when I was sick," Alex said slowly, not looking at her.

She folded her arms, thinking, then she said, "Project Ascension was an old idea androids once had to revive the human race. It involved turning androids into pseudo-humans, so that they could artificially give birth to genetically altered donor fetuses. It didn't work, though, because there wasn't enough fresh human DNA to go around for the project to begin."

"So, I'll really be the last human, then," he muttered despondently. Jaqueline sighed, cursed her emotions, and sat down next to him on the edge of his bed.

"Listen, Alex, you can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, okay?"

"Uh, sure," he said slowly, looking up at her.

"So, when I was curing you back at the Bunker, Commander White discovered something. Something potentially wonderous. Your DNA was… abundant, and fresh."

"Wait, you mean…" he gasped, and she nodded.

"Yes, Alexander, it's possible YoRHa may be able to make more humans. White demanded I take additional 'samples' from your body so she could test this theory. We won't know for sure until she's done, though," Jaqueline smoothly lied.

"Definitely do not tell A2, though, or she'll get crazy overprotective of you, and then we'll never know if we have a chance to rebuild humanity."

"I won't tell mom! I promise!" Alex vowed, making a zipping motion over her lips. The mad scientist smiled, and she patted his head.

"Good kid. Now, why don't you get some sleep? Or, if you're hungry, I can have 2B whip up something for ya."

"I'm kinda tired," Alex admitted.

"Mmm. Goodnight, then, Alex. Sweet dreams," she said, getting up and exiting his room.

He remained silent and still in his bed long after she left. He was excited, and hopeful.

'Maybe… maybe I won't be alone anymore,' he thought to himself.

/\/\/\/\/\

"Good work everyone," Commander White said after another hard day of managing the Bunker and all the various YoRHa assets. The Operators all nodded respectfully towards her as she departed. Once she left, the O-types on duty made way for the night-shift Operators. The Bunker never truly slept, after all. And their work was global, with agents in places where it was currently morning.

Commander White ignored everyone, as usual, as she got into the elevators and shot up to Floor 13. She stepped out of it, and went to her room to check on some data. She saw beeping lights, and smiled thinly.

'Good,' she thought, and made her way from her small room to a larger one, built for a conference. She stepped inside, neatly avoiding the severed hand that lay in front of the entrance.

Corpses of androids littered the conference hall, their bodies smashed and split apart, expressions of shock and confusion visible on a handful of intact heads. The spilt oil and lubricant was all old and dried, though, mere stains on the floor.

This was the site of the massacre which elevated her to Commander of all of YoRHa. Here were the remains of the so-called 'Council of Humanity' who, prior to her coup, had led the androids in the fight against the aliens. When she discovered the truth she had come here and gone on a rampage. None of the 'old' council were spared.

White kept the conference room exactly as she'd left it for a number of reasons. Anger, mostly. Disgust as well. It also served as a poignant reminder to herself and others that this was the price of betrayal.

Within the chamber of horrors were several decidedly not broken androids. Some were dressed in YoRHa uniforms, others clad in eclectic outfits marking them as Resistance. All of them glared at White as she entered.

"Why did you activate the Overlord Protocol? What was so important you recalled us from our duties?" One of the androids sitting in a chair demanded.

"Initiate Override Command E-Alpha-Omega. Install new objectives. From now on, your missions have a new set of parameters," White declared without preamble. "Ensure the success of Project Ascension. Ensure the safety of the human known as Alexander Spero. Observe and monitor the following androids: A2, 2B, 9S, Resist-Jaqueline/Jackass, Resist-Hatchet, and Mod-Sebastian. Do not take actions against them unless they endanger the human. Report all you discover and observe. These instructions are to take precedent over your current missions."

Utter silence fell upon the androids assembled, then one of them twitched.

"A h-human? There's really a h-human? And it's alive?"

"Yes. From now on, the E-types are all to dedicate time and effort to completing their new tasks. Continue to perform your prior objectives, but these orders take priority," White confirmed.

"How?" another disguised E-type demanded.

"Allow me to explain…" White then revealed to her special agents the truth of the matter, and they all gasped and clenched their fists with fire in their eyes.

"We will not fail," they vowed as one, and White nodded, pleased.

"Good. We won't allow humanity to slip into extinction once again," the Commander said. "Furthermore, begin inspecting and investigating androids who could be used to test Project Ascension. We'll need experimental subjects to make sure the procedure is safe for the rest of us."

"Understood," the E-types intoned.

"Now, disperse! Return to your duties. For the glory of mankind!"

"For the glory of mankind!"


	27. Chapter 25: Mechanical Interlude

**.**

 **Chapter 25: A Mechanical Interlude**

 **.**

The thick and dense Indian jungle buzzed, hummed, and thrummed with life. The vast expanse of lush trees that had existed even back before the end of humanity had only grown thicker and denser in the millennia since. The entirety of the subcontinent was consumed by plant matter. There were few other places on Earth where such complete and utter destruction of the human race by nature itself existed.

Any and all traces of human civilization was eroded by the wrath of nature in India. Ancient ruins from pre-history were swallowed up alongside the steel and glass and concrete of the modern world. Both were buried beneath the canopy. It had taken centuries, but now nothing short of using high-grade defoliant or an army of flamethrowers could cut back the jungle.

And where mankind fell, the beasts thrived. Magic made the plants grow tall, and the herbivores who grazed on the enchanted flora grew large in turn, which made the predators even more ferocious as they fed upon meat that had been suffused with traces of magic.

So it was that a herd of massive elephants crunched through the brush, crushing and shoving trees out of their way with their great bulk, strong trunks, and sharp tusks. The eldest of these creatures had clumps of moss growing out of their wrinkled skin, where dirt and magic-infused seeds had lodged during their travels.

In the undergrowth a tiger the size of a school bus, and just as yellow and black, stalked the herd, slowly getting into position so it could kill one of the stragglers.

It tensed, readying to pounce, but a disturbance in the distance gave it pause. There was a crashing sound that was not coming from the elephant herd as it plowed through the jungle.

Bark and branches flew everywhere as an explosion of violet energy tore apart over a dozen trees, sending burning splinters everywhere. Shortly afterwards, an enormous metal construct burst through the devastation, following the path of burnt and sundered trees as it went. It was massive, easily the size of one of the gigantic elephants that roamed India, but made of rusting, corroded, purple painted metal, and the tiger hastily retreated from the scene as the strange thing appeared.

Giant metal feet crunched along further through the jungle, and the elephants trumpeted in panic, some of them forming a defensive perimeter around their young. A few recognized the stomping as coming from a creature seemingly made out of hundreds of the small strange metal-men who occasionally frequented the edges of the Indian jungle. Of course, even the biggest of these metal-folk barely reached the shoulder of the adult elephants, so ordinarily they'd just ignore each other. But this creature belched smoke and stunk of toxic waste and magic as it passed through, and it disturbed the ordinarily peaceful pachyderms.

One of the older males trumpeted furiously, and tried to intimate the strange entity which had barreled into their neck of the woods. The action failed miserably as the bull elephant was struck down by a beam of purple lightning that lashed forth from the construct, obliterating its head completely.

Soon, the thumping metal beast was gone, leaving a swathe of destruction in its wake, as well as a charred elephant corpse and a frightened herd that was running in the opposite direction it'd gone. Eventually the tiger returned and, not one to waste a free kill, jumped onto the burnt remains and enjoyed its first cooked meal ever.

Meanwhile, atop the unholy cathedral of fused metal, a duo of being scowled out at the endless green before them.

"Have I said it before, Lady Purple? Have I said how much I hate the jungle?" 13R inquired, glaring hatefully out from the safety of the roof-palanquin at the branches trees.

"You have mentioned your distain quite often since we entered," Purple Athena commented, eyes flashing purple as she commanded her magic to lash out at the jungle, clearing and burning large chunks of land as they trekked through it.

Sizzling bolts of amethyst energy pounded the jungle, helping clear the way for the Machine Goddess' mobile throne-church. Furthermore, auras of purple energy wrapped around protruding roots and upturned stone and shoved them back down into the dirt if the lightning bolts had not cleared enough of the path in the first bombardment.

With each blast of purple lightning that tore apart the jungle, birds tore into the sky, and the other inhabitants of the jungle fled in all directions to escape.

"Argh! Go away you stupid pests!" 13R cried out in annoyance, batting aside huge, grotesque insects. Spiders, flies, and centipedes galore crawled over her, most of them eventually being fried by Purple Athena. But they just kept coming with every stretch of ground left burnt and barren.

"Ugh! I just look like a human! I don't have any tasty blood for you!" she screeched, slapping a huge mosquito that was trying to jab her with its proboscis so hard it popped like an overripe grape. Since it was already the size of a grape, the analogy was a bit too accurate.

"These creatures are persistent, make their homes everywhere, and are not very pleasant to look at, either. I can see why humans reviled them, and found them repulsive despite their connection to the ecosystem," Purple Athena noted, holding up a squirming spider in one hand and holding it close to her head.

Once she was done examining the arachnid, she crushed it into pulp, and purple flames erupted from her hand and swallowed up the goo, leaving her nice and clean and free of bug bits.

"That's nice, but I'd rather be out of here sooner rather than later," 13R griped. "And why'd we have to go through a stinking jungle in the first place?"

"The only other choice of terrain was to trek across the Himalayan Mountains, and my throne, as wonderful, amazing, and divine as it is, would not last very long trying to traverse those rocky cliffs. So, we go through this jungle instead," Purple Athena explained. "And is it possible for you to cease your endless nattering? I keep you around for information on 'Love' and other emotions, not for your dreary commentary."

"Oh, yes, oh course, My goddess! Forgive me! But, may a humble servant please ask why are we making this journey again?" 13R inquired, carefully keeping her tone respectful as the eyes of the mad Machine Lifeform flashed from purple to red for a brief moment when it turned its round head her way.

"I suppose I might as well indulge you," Purple Athena shrugged. "I seek to return to where the Prime Mothership of the Aliens was brought low. There, I shall repair my fault systems and upgrade myself to a better, more fitting form."

"And where did this space craft fall?" the Recon model inquired.

"A tiny island called Japan, and in a city once known as Tokyo," Purple Athena stated.

"That's going to be tricky," 13R said, trying to stay respectful. "But, uh, you do realize that by the very definition of 'island,' Japan is going to be separate from us by a lot of water. How are we going to get there in that case?"

"Oh, my dear non-believer," Purple Athena chuckled, her voice buzzing with static. "We will find a way. Be it a boat or an aerial transport, we will reach the Holy Land."

"How is Japan holy?" the rogue YoRHa unit inquired.

"According to the data I have obtained, it is not only where the end of the aliens was set in stone, but also the epicenter of the fall of mankind. What better place to build an empire than atop the graves of the fools who came before me?"

Purple Athena laughed maniacally, and despite herself, 13R couldn't help but giggle as well.

"That is amusing! What a great idea, my lady!" the Recon model snickered.

The jungle echoed with twin cries of demented laughter for many an hour after that, and proved to be a better deterrent for the wildlife than the lightning had been.

/\/\/\/\/\

The jungle was not the end of the trials for the two wanderers, however. Even after leaving India behind, there were still a lot of problematic terrain to traverse.

The world had not ended well, and the aftermath of the alien's invasion had left behind vast swathes of land that had been obliterated by warfare. And even before that, the humans had done a good job of obliterating a good portion of their planet with nukes when the White Chlorination Syndrome seeped beyond the borders of Japan and infiltrated Asia. Better to wipe out a few countries then let it spread, right? Shame that the humans hadn't figured out it wasn't a mere disease, and that nuclear radiation only let it contaminate faster!

The Korean Peninsula was essentially a giant, radioactive crater, while Vietnam and Thailand were little better, alternating between mutated jungles and toxic wastes resulting in a variety of issues that made even artificial life hard to survive in. China had been spared the worst of the devastation, at least environmentally. The cities, choked full of people, succumbed to the White Chlorination Syndrome rapidly, leaving vast quantities of salt behind that scoured the soil bare for many generations. Even to this day, no plants grew within the major settlements, only rusted metal, cracked stone, and warped plastic remaining.

The handful of YoRHa patrols out in the area fled upon encountering Purple Athena, though a number were struck from the skies when spotted. Asia was almost completely Machine Lifeform territory, huge chunks of it overrun by clanking, doll-like creations pumped out of the Chinese factories.

Speaking of the Machine Lifeforms that inhabited the regions, they were numerous. Most were mad from decayed programming and faulty parts, though the Chinese industrial sectors remained firmly under Machine control, even to this day. Such a vast number of Machines meant that Purple Athena had an endless horde of converts, however. Trailing behind her walking cathedral, megaphones blurted out corrupted binary that bent the programming of the Machines to her will. And when the local factions resisted, she crushed them without hesitation and added their corpses to her throne.

But soon, she reached her destination.

"Well, here we are, the city of Shanghai!" Purple Athena crowed as her throne stomped through the Great Chinese Salt Flats. "Once more of humanities greatest cities, reduced to mere rubble. A fitting place to plan for my trip to Japan."

"Ugh, that water looks gross," 13R noted, staring out at the Yellow Sea that was visible between the skeletal remains of the buildings. Centuries of rust and salt had turned the water closest to the shoreline a dark crimson color.

"It reminds me of blood that one time I cut open that boar that dared to try and gore my beloved 9S," 13R sighed wistfully, thinking back to the good old days. "His pale skin looked so lovely painted red!"

She shivered, insane thoughts flickering through her head. The self-styled goddess ignored her, however, and began to issue instructions.

"Oh disciples, scatter, and build me an arc to carry us to the Holy Land!" Purple Athena shouted, and the Machine Lifeforms trailing behind her throne buzzed before doing as she commanded.

They stripped the surrounding skyscrapers of steel, and with their fists beat it flat and into shape. For days they toiled, until they managed to create a moderately sized metal raft. It could hold the throne, but when Purple Athena tried to step into the boat, it sank.

"It looks like your church is too heavy," 13R noted.

"Refrain from pointing out the obvious," Purple Athena scolded her royal advisor.

"I'm just saying it'd be easier to leave it behind. We can always make you a another one when we get to Japan," the rogue YoRHa unit offered, but was rebuffed.

"No! I shall not falter! If this boat won't do, I'll simply make a bigger one!" the Ghost in the Machine declared.

"Shame we don't have any land bridges or Bering Straights," 13R mused idly. A shiver ran down her spine as the glowing eyes of her 'boss' turned to her.

"What is this 'Bering' you speak of?"

"Oh? Well, see, 9R, the little nerd, was a fan history and ancient geography. And apparently, according to him, there used to be a sort of land bridge, though it was mostly made of ice, that connected from Siberia to Alaska, and was how primitive humans colonized the America's," 13R stated. "I remember it because that mission to Russia was one of the worst I'd even had. The cold, the freaking huge bears the size of battle tanks… it was awful! And my darling 9S was transferred to that bitch 2B during that time."

Leaving the Yandere Recon model to mutter darkly to herself, Purple Athena's mind was processing a great deal of data at once. After deliberation, she hopped down from atop her throne and strode to the edge of the water.

"Huh? What are you doing, my goddess?" 13R inquired.

"If a boat will not work, why not a bridge? Nature can be so inspiring, don't you think?" Purple Athena asked, before raising her hands high, pointing them out over the water.

The air suddenly turned frigid, and the waves all froze in place as ice surged forth, and a wide bridge of the stuff rose up, extending as far as the eye could see. And thanks to the color of the water, when it rose up and froze, there was a distinct purple tint to the ice as it stretched out into the distance.

As 13R stared agape at the sight of a magical frozen bridge leading from China to Japan, Purple Athena only laughed.

"And lo, I have given us a path to the Holy Land! Through the very powers that damned mankind, no less! I am truly a GOD!" Purple Athena cackled.

Soon, the entire congregation was stomping across the ice bridge. 13R winced, waiting for the crunching and cracking of the surface to come, but it never did. The water was frozen solid all the way to the seabed.

A legion of steel marched on towards Tokyo, screaming their praises of their mistress towards the sky. And at its head was a goddess, carried aloft by a clanking, lumbering cathedral-throne.

^/\/\/\/\^

 ** _A/N: I did not expect to have life slap me silly for these past two months. Sorry about that, hopefully I can have another chapter up before the end of March!_**


	28. Chapter 26: I dream of machinery

**.**

 **Chapter 26: I dream of machinery**

 **.**

After tossing and turning wildly all night, Alexander woke up in his room, sweat plastering his body. With a groan, he tried to sit up, only to flop back down onto the bed.

"Ugh, so thirsty," Alex moaned. It didn't take long for the door to his room to be thrown open, his mother striding inside with a glass of water in one hand, and a plate of medical pills in the other.

"Are you okay, Alexander?" A2 asked worriedly as she bent down beside him and pressed her forehead against his to check his temperature.

"Just a bad dream," Alexander replied, looking away.

"Here, some water to take with your medicine," the mothering gynoid said, handing her son the glass and plate.

"I don't know why I have to keep taking these, I feel fine!" Alexander lied.

"Jaqueline wants to be extra certain you won't get sick again, so she's whipped up this special pills full of vitamins and other things she says will help you," A2 replied, folding her arms. "Now, take them."

The last human on Earth sighed, but complied all the same, popping the bright colored pills into his mouth and quickly washing them down with the water.

"Blech! So bitter," Alex complained.

"It's for your own good," A2 declared, but she smiled and patted his head at the same time. "Now, can I get you anything? A book, perhaps?"

"Is Uncle Emil around? I wanted to chat with him about some questions I had about magic," Alexander inquired.

"No practicing spells until you're fully recovered," she reminded him, and Alexander bobbed his head in agreement.

"I know, I know! I'll only ask questions!" Alex promised his mom. She looked at him critically, as if checking to see if he was lying, before nodding.

"I'll check to see if he's awake yet." A2 then left the room, leaving Alexander to his thoughts.

He wasn't left alone for long, though, as a familiar skull-faced entity with the voice of a child rolled into his room. Alexander smiled at he saw his and Blue's teacher of magic enter. He was fond of the odd person quite a bit, as his wealth of knowledge rivaled Uncle 9S at times, especially with ancient history and magic.

Hard to believe he used to be afraid of the goofy guy, Alex thought, but 9S's home movies didn't lie! Hard to imagine he'd used to cry whenever Emil had tried to hold him.

The former Scout-model had become quite the shutterbug in the days following the formation of their little family. He'd found old cameras – both for videos and photos – and had made it his mission to record the growth and experiences of their family unit.

Alexander especially enjoyed the ones that showed him playing in the snow with Blue a few winters back. That had been a fun time, and the first instance they'd celebrated the old human holiday of 'Christmas.' The red and green remained firm in his memories, even to this day.

"Hey, Alexander, A2 said you had questions for me?" Emil inquired, and the last human shook off his thoughts.

"Yes, that's correct, Uncle Emil," Alex said.

"So, what is it?" the skull-bot asked, approaching his apprentice and nephew.

"Well, uh, this might sound weird, but what do you know about dreams," Alex wondered, giving the scooter riding skull pause.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked slowly.

"Do dreams and magic have any connection with each other?" Alex inquired.

"There were old beliefs among humans that dreams could often be prophetic," Emil said slowly. "Some believed dreams were capable of much, such as predicting events, or communicating with gods or mystical entities. And in some more recent cases, Replicants would dream of their previous lives if they encountered a large amount of magical energy regularly. But, as far as I know, magic and dreams tend to be separate. Why do you ask?"

"For a couple of nights now, I've been having weird dreams," Alex admitted after a long pause. "In them, I see this strange Machine Lifeform. It has a female voice, slightly older and more mature sounding than Blue's. She's covered in faded purple paint, and seems to have fused a bunch of other Machines together into some sort of giant walking palanquin-thing."

"Sometimes this Machine is in a dessert, other times she's in a city, or a jungle, or near a mountain range. But every time I see her, I feel… strange."

"Strange how?" Emil asked worriedly.

"As if I… know her?" Alexander said, trailing off a bit. "She's… she's insane, Emil. Calls herself a 'god,' and stuff. But at the same time, it seems like I have a connection with her, because I can… I can see her desires. Or feel them? She wants validation. She wants to be worshipped… to be… loved."

"I see," Emil said slowly. "And what does this Machine Lifeform call herself?"

"Purple Athena."

At Alexander's words, the skull-bot tensed, flinching ever so slightly.

"Emil? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," the magical entity replied, waving off his worry. "Tell me, Alex, you see her every night?"

"The first time I saw her, was when I was in the Bunker getting examined, I think," Alex said slowly. "The whole time I was sick is a bit of a blur, honestly."

"But, yeah, almost every night since. At first I thought I was dreaming of her because of Blue, but then she started appearing in my dreams even when Blue didn't come over to visit," he replied.

"…This could be a form of Clairvoyance," Emil muttered. "You might be seeing the future, and your magic is connecting to her for some reason. I'll have to look some things up to check. Has she seen you, or noticed you at all when you dream?"

"I don't think so. Most of the time she's talking to herself," Alex said with a shake of his head. "But recently she'd gained a follower. She's an android, dressed like a YoRHa agent, but some of her limbs are replaced by crude metallic prosthetics. And they talk to each other, I guess. I can't really hear what they're saying. It's all low and static-y."

"If you're seeing her at all, that means she's important to you, somehow," Emil said with a note of worry in his voice.

"Do you know her, Uncle Emil?" Alexander asked cautiously.

"…She might be my daughter," the skull-bot said hesitantly.

"Oh… so, she's my cousin?" Alex asked, confused as to how his skull-faced family member could have Machine Lifeform offspring, but was also excited at the thought of more family.

It got lonely, being locked up and monitored all the time. Sure, it was for his own safety, but it didn't mean it got on Alexander's nerves!

"I don't know if we should talk about her anymore," Emil said, nervousness audible in his tone. "If you have any more dreams about her, write them down when you wake up. Keep track of them. If you really do have a connection to her, I feel it'd be best to know how and why."

"Is Purple Athena dangerous?" Alexander asked.

"…I don't know," Emil admitted. Alex frowned, but nodded eventually.

"Okay, I'll keep a dream journal," he promised.

"Good!" the skull-bot said cheerfully. "Now, do you have any other questions for me?"

"Well, I guess I did have some comments about the Theory of Energy Conversion you spoke of a while back. How can mana transmute so easily into other forms of magic?"

"Excellent question, Alex! Mana is, at it's most simple, energy, which means it can be used in place of other kinds of energy, which is basically what spells are…" Emil began to lecture his young student, who lapped up the knowledge eagerly.

Worries about being connected via dreams to an insane Machine who called herself a god were pushed to the side for the moment. After all, there was magical theory to learn about!


End file.
